A Little Braver
by schreibfeather
Summary: AU Set in my SoY-verse. No one notices how dejected Haley Potter is. No one but... Neville. If Neville took a chance, would he be able to make a difference? Could he make more than just one person happy? A story about friendship, courage and... maybe even love. Fourth Year. Yule Ball. HPxNL. fem!Harry.
1. As Friends

A/N: This takes place in my "Songs of Yesterday"-verse and contains spoilers for the first 3 chapters of that fic. I recommend reading the first 3 chapters of that first. This is an alternate side story of SoY.

If you don't want to read that, here are the basics. Harry is a girl (Haley) who has a crush on Michael Corner and she asked him out to the Yule Ball but got rejected, because he likes Cho. This is what happens after she talked to Ron in the common room about it and Hermione stormed out because she and Ron had a fight (again).

 **1 - As Friends**

Neville didn't know what he was supposed to do. And there was no one around that he could ask. Or was there? Ron? Bad idea. Seamus? Dean? Probably not. Hermione…? Maybe he could go to her. But right now didn't seem like the best time. The way she had stormed out of the room…  
He sighed. It wasn't like this didn't happen often. Especially with Ron and Hermione. But it wasn't his business, right? What _did_ bother him, though was the dejection that Haley so desperately tried to hide behind a mostly fake smile. He wanted to do something to cheer her up. But what could he do? It didn't seem like anyone else noticed what he'd seen since he had followed her out of the library. And now here she was playing chess with Ron. Or to put it more correctly – being defeated by Ron. Did the boy have no empathy at all? Didn't he see that Haley was upset? But what was _he_ supposed to do? He was just Neville. _Neville,_ who everyone made fun of. _Neville,_ who was afraid of their Potions professor. _Neville,_ who could barely remember his own name. _Neville,_ who stuttered when he only opened his mouth. _Neville_ , who was… just Neville. Nothing special.

"Neville?"

He startled, when someone called his name.

"Neville, are you okay?" There was a pair of eyes floating in front of him. Green eyes, framed by round glasses.

"S-Sure," Neville stammered.

"You seem… distracted. Is something on your mind?" Haley asked earnestly.

"N-No," he answered, clearing his throat. Why couldn't he form a simple sentence without stuttering?

"Aren't you gonna go to bed? Ron went upstairs just a moment ago and I'm going to call it a night, too," the green-eyed girl yawned. Neville blinked around confusedly. Beside the two second years at the opposite side of the room there was no one left.

"Come on," Haley sent him a tired smile, "You must be tired as well."

She stood up, yawning again. Automatically, Neville yawned right back. Haley turned around, starting to walk toward the dormitories. She had almost reached the staircase… It was now or never! _Are you a Gryffindor or are you not?,_ Neville thought determined.

"Wait!" Haley stopped, surprised at his almost-shout. Neville was surprised about that, too. He hadn't meant to shout.

The raven-haired girl turned around, watching him curiously with raised eyebrows.

 _You're stupid, stupid, stupid. What are you even going to say?_ , he thought. But he had to do _something_.

His fists clenching, his lips trembling, Neville stammered, "I'm s-s-sorry."

Haley said nothing, she only stared at him, not understanding.

Neville took a deep breath. Then he closed his eyes and told his brain to stop overthinking. It didn't listen. Or maybe it listened a tiny bit.

"I'm sorry you got rej-jected. I heard you're still looking for a p-p-partner. For the… Y-Yule Ball." Neville swallowed audibly. He opened his eyes but closed them again a second later. What was he even saying? Where were his words leading him without his knowledge?

"I just wanted you to know… that maybe… if– if you wanted… y-you could… go… with… me."

That last part was barely a whisper and Neville was almost sure that Haley hadn't even heard him because she didn't say anything.

"I-I understand… if… y-you d-don't want to…" The stutter was getting so bad, that Neville had to be careful not to bite his tongue off! "I just thought i-if you don't find anyone else… w-we could g-go as… friends?"

Haley still didn't say anything. All she did was stare at him like he'd just told her a particularly weird story. Of course, she would. Why would she take him seriously? Why would _anyone_ take him seriously?

"I-I'm s-sorry. I shouldn't – shouldn't have said anything. I-I j-just wanted to – to cheer y-you up. Just f-forget -"

"Neville," Haley interrupted his stuttering. There was a soft, slightly amused smile on her face now.

"Do you want," she bit her lip, trying not to grin even wider, "Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

She couldn't be serious, could she? She wouldn't be the first to make fun of him, but then again, this was Haley Potter. She had helped him countless times before. Defended him. And also got him in trouble once or twice. But all in all… she wasn't _that_ kind of person. She wasn't _mean_. At least she'd never been mean to him.

"Sure," Neville found himself saying without stuttering.

"As friends?" Haley asked with one eyebrow raised.

"As friends," Neville agreed, because what else was there to say? Friends was good. And even if he wanted, how could he ask for more? Friends was enough.  
"Good," she whispered, turning to go before adding, "Good night, Neville."

"Good night," he whispered back, feeling more like a Gryffindor than ever. He had done this, cheered Haley Potter up, when no one else had even noticed, she needed it. Maybe the hat hadn't put him in the wrong house after all. And just maybe… he had a reason to look forward to the Yule Ball now.

...

A/N: Yay, Neville! I dedicate this to all the Neville fans out there and particularly to those who inspired me to write this :) Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you think?

Till next time,

Feather


	2. Worrying Again

**2 - Worrying Again**

Breakfast the next day proved to be weird. Every time Neville's eyes accidentally met Haley's, he had to lower his gaze. He felt weird and somehow unsettled like there was something inside him that had come loose and had to be readjusted again. If there was one thing Neville hated, it was feeling like something was wrong and having no idea how to fix it. Unfortunately he felt that way quite often and about the most ordinary things.

Cautiously, he looked up from his scrambled eggs in Haley's direction. She wasn't looking at him. Relief flooded through him. Now, he didn't have to look away awkwardly, instead he could enjoy his breakfast in peace.

The scrambled eggs were good. Not too salty and with just the right temperature so that he wouldn't burn his tongue on them. They lacked in seasoning, though. Maybe parsley or something equally fresh would add to the taste. Or pepper as a start. Just a bit, so that it wasn't too hot. Without any hurry, Neville reached over the table in the direction of the pepper mill. He peppered his eggs like he had all the time in the world. Some things needed to be enjoyed. And breakfast definitely was one of these things. _That's enough pepper_ , he thought content with the amount and then he heard someone clearing their throat.

Looking up, he saw someone standing directly behind Haley, who was sitting on the opposite side of Gryffindor table a few seats to the left. Haley didn't react right away. She seemed to be preoccupied with keeping up a peaceful atmosphere between Ron and Hermione. Neville was really glad he didn't have to get involved in their arguments. Hermione could be awfully scary, when she was angry. He still vividly remembered how she had used the full-body-bind curse on him in first year. It wasn't a fond memory.

The person cleared their throat another time and this time Haley turned around to acknowledge the guy, who turned out to be Michael Corner. Neville frowned, what was he doing here?

While the Ravenclaw was asking Haley how she'd slept that night, Neville noticed that everywhere around them people tried to listen in. They weren't even subtle about it. Ginny who was sitting a few seats to the left seemed to be especially interested.

If there was one thing, Neville wasn't then it was being nosy. He didn't like people poking around in his business or them watching him when he did something embarrassing again. So he made it a rule to respect other people's privacy as well. Even though they didn't always return the favour.

But now, he couldn't help but try… to understand what was being said. He wanted to know. He wanted to know, so he could try and prevent that Haley was humiliated once more.

From what he could hear, it seemed like Michael Corner had been rejected yesterday as well.

And now… Now he tried to ask Haley out once again? After he had turned her down merely twelve hours before? It was Ron who spoke up for his friend this time. _Finally_ , Neville thought.

But what was it that Ron had said? _Aren't you at least gonna ask properly?_ Neville gulped. Was he really going to ask her to the Yule Ball? But… Neville was going to go with her… right?

The Ravenclaw was smiling now. It was a soft smile. A smile that seemed to put Haley – or girls in general – under the boy's spell. For a moment Haley looked like she would do anything that Michael asked of her, as long as he didn't stop smiling in that way. Michael finally asked the question and Neville knew she was going to say yes. He knew it. Had known from the moment he'd asked her the previous night, that she couldn't possibly want to go to the Yule Ball with him. Who was he anyway? He was Neville. _Longbottom_. Even his surname was mocking him.

But he wouldn't dwell on this any longer. Hadn't it always been this way? He tried something and he failed at it. How could he have been so stupid! He balled his fists and tried to ignore that his eyes were watering. But wasn't it the best that way? Haley wanted to go with Michael. He should be happy for her. He should be happy, although the guy was behaving like a jerk but… this...this wasn't his business anyway this wasn't-

Haley was shaking her head. It was just a tiny movement but he had seen it. And everything else turned quiet for a moment.

Michael Corner must have seen it, too, because he was frowning now.

"What?" He asked with a rather unpleasant expression on his face.

Haley turned to look right into his eyes then.

"No," she stated clearly and Michael Corner looked like she had told him she ate mice for breakfast or something equally unbelievable.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Michael asked dumbfounded, "Did you mishear me or-?"

"No, actually I heard you quite clearly. But", She paused, "Someone else asked me out already."

For a moment Michael was watching her confusedly.

"But when-? Who?" The Ravenclaw asked irritatedly. Neville wondered if Haley would mention him… He hoped she wouldn't.

"I'm really sorry, Michael," Haley said then, "I guess, if you had asked me sooner..."

Haley sent Michael a sort of apologetic smile that Michael didn't reciprocate. He stood there for another moment watching her with surprise.

"Whatever," he muttered with a shrug. Then he turned around and walked back to his own table like nothing important had happened. Something that looked suspiciously like hurt flickered over Haley's face for a second. But then she turned around and sat back down at their table again.

Neville could tell, she was trying not to let her feelings show. If you watched more closely, it was evident, that she was only pretending to be okay. Her hand that was gripping her fork was shaking slightly and she was biting her lip as if trying to keep herself from crying. Everyone was watching again. How Neville wished he could stop them from staring at least. Haley must have sensed the stares, because she looked up from her plate, her chin set in a provocative way. Of course they all averted their eyes _now_. Neville did too.

"Neville?"

Neville looked up when he heard his name being called. Haley had called his name! And she was looking at him!

"Y-yes?" He answered unable to keep the stutter from his words.

"Could you pass me the pepper?" She asked in a friendly tone, still watching him.

"Su-sure," Neville said, while reaching for the pepper mill.

"Here," he managed to say without stuttering and he didn't even let the mill fall.

"Thanks, Neville," Haley said, smiling at him gently.

"Y-you're welcome." He replied, automatically smiling back.

…

No matter what Neville did, he couldn't stop his mind from worrying all day. So, after their afternoon classes he went to his favourite thinking spot, that was located near the green houses but still far enough away from the Forbidden Forest. The thought of that forest alone made him shudder. To normal eyes his thinking spot looked like nothing special or out of the ordinary. It was a small patch of earth the size of a kitchen table that was surrounded by regular grass and shadowed by a massive willow tree. Luckily it was not a Whomping Willow. Between its thick roots there was a tiny rivulet that originated from the Great Lake. For one, the little spot was peaceful, because no one seemed to know about it. At least no one ever went there when Neville was around. The other thing that Neville liked about this spot was… the patch of earth.

It wasn't any old patch of earth. No. Neville had discovered that special plants grew there. Neville called it _the surprise spot_ , because you never knew what plant would grow, despite the seeds you planted. You could bury apple seeds in the earth and two weeks later discover a coconut tree growing in the same spot. It was like the earth itself decided what it wanted to sprout. But there was a catch. The plants would only last for one season.

Neville stepped under the willow and walked toward the patch of earth. He had only planted three apricot seeds this year. A few tiny green leaves were lifting their heads through the earth, but Neville didn't know what they were going to be yet. He sat down in front of the patch and let his mind wander. He imagined the plants slowly growing bigger and bigger. But of course in real time the growing took more time than that. You could never be sure though. Professor Sprout had mentioned once that there are some plants that grew several metres a day! He'd yet to see such a plant though. And it also didn't look like the seeds he planted would grow in less than a few weeks.

Still. There was nothing wrong with watching over them. It helped his mind relax if nothing else.

So… he was going to the Yule Ball with Haley Potter. He had asked her and surprisingly she had said yes! And now? Now she had even rejected Michael Corner's invitation although Neville knew that she'd wanted to go with him. So why did she reject him then? Shouldn't she have said yes?

As her friend shouldn't he talk to her and tell her that she didn't have to go with him? That she could go with Michael if that's what she wanted?

There was a snowflake floating down in front of his face. Neville wondered whether the plants needed protection from the cold soon. He would bring something to cover them with next time. And Haley… Maybe he should simply ask her what she wanted? Maybe…

Neville sighed. He didn't know what to do. He never did. For the umpteenth time he wished there was someone he could talk to about these things. About anything really. Every one had someone to turn to. Ron had Hermione and Haley. And all of his siblings. Dean had Seamus. And he… he had no one. His fellow Gryffindors were friendly to him and helped him out a lot. But… no one was simply there for… _him_. Neville sighed again. _Stop whining and do something!_ , said a voice in his mind. The voice sounded suspiciously like Moody.

There was a new leaf on one of the plants! Neville blinked. It was still there. But it hadn't been there a second ago? He rubbed his eyes. Still. There. Huh. Maybe this was a sign? Maybe it was possible for him to simply say what he wanted to. Maybe – Maybe Haley actually did want to go to the ball with him. But even so, there was only one way to find out. Neville knew what he had to do now.

...

A/N: Oh my gosh! I'm honestly overwhelmed by how much you guys like this! Thank you so much! All the favouriting and reviewing and following is seriously blowing my mind! Also thanks for adding this to your communities and of course thank you for reading and enjoying this little fic :)

Happy Holidays to everyone!  
Feather


	3. Part Of Something

**3 - Part Of Something**

When Neville stepped through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room he was met with the familiar bickering voices of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

"-could have asked _anyone_! I mean, _literally_ anyone! And you go and settle for boring, old-"

"Neville!"

"I know, right!"

"No, Ronald! _Neville_!"

"I know, that's what I'm saying-"

"Ron, you idiot!"

"What is it _now_?"

" _Look!_ "

"What's there to – oh. Hi, Neville. You wanna come sit with us?"

Neville tried really hard not to feel hurt by Ron's thoughtless words. He tried. But they still stung. You'd think a person gets used to hearing mean things time and again but… no matter how often he heard them, he couldn't help but feel hurt all over again.

With next to no energy left, he trudged toward the table in the back where the golden trio was currently lounging. They were watching him. People were always either watching or ignoring him. He didn't know what was worse.

Hermione was urgently whispering something in Ron's ear and hitting his arm. Haley was… looking at him. Rolling her eyes at her two friends. And then… sending him, Neville, an encouraging smile. At once his steps felt so much lighter.

There was an empty armchair next to Haley. Was he expected to sit there? Next to Ron there was a seat as well, but Neville would rather not sit next to him at the moment. So he, stood there in front of the table, pondering his options. Hermione and Ron didn't notice his inner conflict; those two were too busy with themselves and their neverending squabbling. But Haley… she noticed. She noticed and she gestured to the seat next to her, inviting him to sit down there.

As soon as Neville fell into the soft cushions of the armchair, silence fell over the table.

Hermione was staring at Ron with an expectant expression; Ron, in turn was clearing his throat.

And Haley was watching the whole exchange with raised eyebrows.

"Look, Neville, you know I didn't mean it like that, right?" Ron finally said, his tone casual.

 _Didn't you? Well how did you mean it then, when you called me boring and old!_ , he wanted to say but… what use was there to it? What difference would it make? In the end nobody would treat him any different anyway.

"I know," he said instead, "It's fine."

To Neville's right, Haley looked like she was about to protest and Hermione opposite him, was also opening her mouth, but Ron was faster.

"See, Hermione! I told you it wasn't a big deal. That's just how we guys talk." He was grinning at Neville in a chummy way and patted him on the shoulder across the table. Neville stiffened. He didn't agree at all. He wanted to –

"Ron! Do you even hear yourself?" Hermione called astonished.

"I only said the truth! Would you rather I lie instead? I was simply saying how surprised I was that Haley wants to go to the ball with Neville, when she could have asked literally _anyone_."

"Ron, you –"

"Stop!"

Neville hated, that they were fighting because of him. He hated, that Ron's words hurt so much, although he hadn't even _meant_ for them to hurt him. He hated that Ron didn't notice, that he was offending him. Hated how it made him feel like maybe there was something wrong with _him_ and normal people would laugh it off as a joke instead. Hated that everyone talked about him as if he wasn't there. As if he were a child or… a ghost. But most of all he hated, that he couldn't even speak up for himself. That it hadn't been him shouting _stop!_

It had been the raven-haired, green-eyed girl next to him. There was silence instantly.

"Stop it already, will you!" Haley said fiercely.

"It was _my_ decision to choose Neville as my date and no one beside him and me have any say in the matter!" Haley looked around, daring anyone to say a word, which no one did.

"And Ron, this is really no way to talk about your _friend_ , that you've been sharing a room with for four years," she muttered, her brows furrowed and her lips in a disappointed pout.

Ron was too astounded it seemed to say a thing. His mouth was hanging open, like he was attempting to catch flies.

"I-I'm sor–" Ron started. But in that moment Neville remembered what he'd come here for in the first place.

"You're right," he blurted out, "I actually – I… I was wondering about this myself. W-why you were rejecting Michael Corner this morning a-and why..." He blinked, trying to put his thoughts into a logical order. Everyone was looking at him again but Neville had only eyes for his fingers that were nervously knotted together in his lap.

"Why you wanted to go to the ball with… m-me of all p-people." His voice was nothing but a quiet whisper toward the end. Nobody said a word. It was almost like the whole common room was curious how Haley was going to answer. After a while – Neville didn't know how much time had passed, it seemed like hours to him – Haley answered, in a thoughtful tone,

"Because… I like you."

Neville felt his heart stop. He wondered whether anyone else had noticed.

Haley continued, "You're my friend... I trust you… And…"

 _And what?_ Neville looked up from his fingers and into Haley's face. She smiled then.

"I really didn't want to say yes to Michael after… after yesterday." She bit her lips uncomfortably. It was probably not a nice memory.

"Why though? I thought you _liked_ him?" He had been itching to ask that question since breakfast.

The question seemed to startle her. She looked at him with big eyes full of surprise.

"I did! I mean, I do – I mean – I..." Haley shrugged, "I really did want to go with him but… when he asked me this morning, it just… didn't feel _right_ anymore. It didn't feel genuine on his part. And beside that I didn't want to give in so easily. He didn't even put in much effort. For a moment there, I almost thought he looked bored or… even annoyed!" She turned to Neville.

"So, I'm really grateful, that you asked me, Neville. Otherwise I might have ended up saying yes to him!"

"Grate...ful?" Neville repeated puzzled.

Haley nodded.

Neville looked around, blinking in confusion. Hermione was grinning and giving him a thumbs up.

Ron hit him on the shoulder playfully, "You go, Neville. I really don't like that Corner guy. You're definitely better than him. And don't let anyone tell you you're _boring_ or _old_ ," he tsked.

Neville didn't know whether Ron was serious or this another of his jokes.

"You're an idiot, Ron," Haley admonished, but there was no bite to her words. In fact she was trying hard not to smile.

"So, Hermione, are you going to tell us who asked you to the ball now?" Ron asked after a moment.

"No, Ronald. I really don't know why you think I'd tell you now, when I haven't done so the last fifty or so times you asked."

And just like that they started their bickering again. Neville was only glad it wasn't about him this time. He looked at Haley, who was rolling her eyes at the fighting Gryffindors.

"Wanna play a game of Exploding Snap?" She asked and it felt almost too easy to nod and grin at her and pretend that it was something they always did. Like they really were friends, who fought and laughed. Playing games and ignoring the squabbling in the background. Just hanging out together and having fun. Neville didn't remember the last time he felt like this. Like he belonged. Like he was a part of something… something that actually made him happy.

...

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! I know the chapters have been super short but the next one will be longer. I promise! It will be the ball chapter :) I can't believe there are so many people who like this! Thank you guys for reading and enjoying :) It means a lot to me! Leave me your thoughts?

Fun fact: The German translation for "Exploding Snap" is literally "Snape explodes". I always thought that was rather funny. Like when they say: "Let's play a game of Snape explodes." It's true! Btw does anyone have an idea what the game is actually about?

Till next time,  
Feather :)


	4. Why So Nervous?

**4 - Why So Nervous?**

There was only one mirror in the boys dormitory and currently there were three boys crowded in front of it, trying to get a glimpse of their reflections.

"Should I leave the hair like this?"

"Not sure, maybe you should gell it back?"

"Nah, I don't think I will. I'll just leave it."

"Maybe you could add some colour? There's this spell that I-"

"No – it's fine Seamus. I don't want my hair to go up in flames. No offence..."

"None taken. Neville are you okay back there?"

Neville startled. He had been silently watching his dormmates, waiting for them to leave so he could take a last look in the mirror himself.

"Wha-?" He muttered, "yeah… sure… I'm flames – I mean fine – I'm fine."

Neville breathed in slowly trying his best to calm down. Why was he this nervous all of a sudden? Why… was it so hard to breathe? This was just a stupid ball. There really was no need for him to feel panicked! _Just breathe_ , he thought, _breathe_. After a moment his breathing had steadied again and he felt a little better.

"Neville?" Someone asked suddenly.

Said boy looked up to find Ron standing right in front of him. Strangely they were the only people left in the room.

"Huh? Where's everyone?"

"I told them to go on ahead," Ron answered, watching him for a moment.

"Oh."

For a moment Ron seemed to watch him contemplatingly. Then he started to speak,

"Look, Neville… You're not still mad about that thing I said about you the other night, are you?"

The redhead bit his lips nervously and Neville realized that he really seemed to feel guilty.

That was new. He would have thought this was simply Hermione who had urged him to apologize again. But…

"You know how people sometimes say stupid stuff without thinking about it? Well, I don't really believe you're _that_ boring, Neville. And anyway being boring is not a bad thing, right?"

Ron looked at him like he was willing Neville to _just get it_. Neville on the other hand didn't know what it was that he was supposed to _just get_. He stayed silent.

"Man, I really hate this sentimental stuff – I–" He ran his hand through his short red hair in frustration. Before he continued to talk he stepped closer and gave him a hard pat on the shoulder.

"Neville. I can see you're nervous, but… you really don't have to be. Haley doesn't bite," he laughed, "at least I don't think she does." He added a little more thoughtfully.

"Anyway. Nevs, just be yourself, and if that's boring, then so what? I'm really glad you're the one that Haley chose." He grinned at him in a conspiratorial way. With a last pat he turned around and left the dorm. Neville swallowed in disbelief. He wasn't quite sure what had happened just now or how he felt about it, but somehow he felt like he'd just received brotherly approval.

"Neville! Aren't you coming?" Asked Ron's head that had reappeared in the door.

"Sure, just-" Neville mumbled, he just wanted to take one more look in the mirror to check…

But maybe it was better if he left without checking. That way he wouldn't have another thing to worry over.

"You can do this," Neville whispered to himself, straightening his robes and walking purposefully toward the door. He really hoped everything would go well.

…

"Hey Neville!"

Neville was glad, he'd already reached the end of the stairs, because he might have fallen all the way down otherwise. People really had to stop calling his name out of nowhere!

At the other end of the common room stood none other than Haley Potter, who was waving him over with a big grin on her face.

There was something about the girl that instantly calmed him. It was almost like when she was there, it was okay. It didn't matter that he was insecure or that he stuttered. It didn't matter that he was almost sorted into Hufflepuff or that he had always feared he wasn't even a wizard. It didn't matter that there were tons of guys at Hogwarts that looked better, were more talented or more confident than him. None of it mattered.

"Shall we?" Haley asked once he'd made his way over to her.

Neville nodded and softly muttered, "Yes."

They stared at each other expectantly for a minute, before Haley started to giggle.

"Come on then," she said amusedly and gestured toward the portrait hole next to her.

Together they made their way down to the Entrance Hall, chatting all the while. Or more like Haley was talking and Neville listened. It was good seeing her like this. Chattering on about something or another. Carefree and without that sad look on her face.

"It's nice," he said aloud without meaning to.

"...I mean, think about it – what?"

Haley stopped walking so she could look at him properly. There was only one flight of stairs until they'd reach the Entrance Hall. Neville stopped, too.

"I mean – I didn't mean to – it's just-"

Haley simply waited, her head tilted to the side in curiosity.

Her gaze was… _so warm_. And… _reassuring_. He'd never realized that before, he'd never… Something unfolded in his stomach. Something fluttery and… _warm_. He blinked. Haley was still waiting for an answer. Neville cleared his throat, which felt kind of tight all of a sudden.

"It's just," he started, "Seeing you like that… seeing that… you're feeling better… It's nice."

Haley's green eyes widened, then she looked to the ground for a moment. Had he said something wrong? _I'm such an idiot_ , Neville thought, biting his lips in frustration.

But after a moment Haley lifted her head and met his eyes.

"Yeah," she whispered, "It _is_ nice."

This was not the reaction he had anticipated. The bewilderment was most probably visible on his face. Haley chuckled.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, trying not to laugh.

"Like what?" He asked in return.

Haley made big eyes and opened her mouth wide. She looked like she had seen a basilisk.

"Like that," she said with a laugh.

"I don't look like _that_ ," Neville argued but he was laughing as well. It was easy to laugh when her laugh sounded so inviting and genuine and _warm_. And why were there suddenly all these adjectives in Neville's mind that were there just to describe her laugh.

Haley had stopped laughing now. But there was still an amused glint in her eyes.

"Let's go, Neville," she whispered, grabbing his arm and pulling him down the last few steps of the staircase.

…

It seemed to be just his luck, that the champions and their partners were expected to parade through the Great Hall under everyone's watchful eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't know, we were suppose to do this," Haley whispered in his ear, as they were walking. They had almost arrived at the designated champion table now. _Only, a few more metres, then it's over_ , he thought, desperately fighting the urge to simply close his eyes and pretend he was somewhere else. Instead his gaze was focused somewhere straight ahead – away from the onlookers – and he took one step after another in an almost mechanical way.

"Hey, we're there. It's over." That was Haley's voice from somewhere to his left. Neville blinked owlishly. There was a chair in front of him. And a long table. They were there already! He must have spaced out for a little while. Haley was grinning softly, nodding at the seats with raised eyebrows. Neville looked around the table. Everyone else was already sitting down. A few seats to his right, there was even someone pulling out the seat for his date. Neville's brows furrowed. Was he supposed to do that as well? Would Haley want him do that? Or was it too much?

Slowly he turned to look at her… only to find that she had sat down already. Neville exhaled heavily in relief.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" Haley frowned at him in confusion.

"S-sure – I just – I… sure," he answered lamely and took the seat to her right. Luckily he didn't fall over his chair or do anything equally embarrassing.

Someone was chuckling. Softly at first but then it got louder and louder. Neville couldn't believe this. Haley was _laughing_ at him? But that couldn't be! She was supposed to be his _friend_. She'd said she _liked_ him. She wasn't supposed to _laugh_ at him. Neville frowned, his shoulders sagging, his body starting to shake all over. Why was everyone always-

" _Neville._ " Haley hit him on the arm lightly, "Neville, look at me."

Something about the way she'd said that, made him look up hesitantly.

"What are you so terribly nervous about?" The girl asked. She didn't look like she was making fun of him at all. Simply… curious. And her eyes were sparkling vividly, reflecting the light of the candles that were floating all around them. And then… Neville noticed something.

"You're not wearing glasses," he blurted out in astonishment.

Haley leaned back a bit, seemingly surprised, "No, I'm not. I – Hermione helped me with that..."

She seemed to think for a second, then her features softened and she continued, "Anyway, I asked you a question, if I remember correctly." She rested her elbows on top of the table and cupped her face in her hands, never letting him escape her hypnotising eyes.

"So..."

Neville inhaled sharply. He shrugged, "I – just..."

" _Yes_ ," Haley prompted, drawing out the _e_.

"I guess it's my… it's … the way I am?" Neville admitted, making it sound like a question.

For a moment the girl in front of him furrowed her brows. She wasn't going to laugh again, was she? He swallowed. There. He was nervous again. A slow smile spread out on Haley's face. She seemed to make a decision.

Without so much as a warning she let her hand fall onto his forearm and squeezed gently.

Neville jumped in surprise, making Haley shake her head and chuckle again.

"Neville", she gazed at him with determination in her eyes, "Your nervousness is making _me_ nervous, so stop it. Or else I might be giggling all night long..."

"But why would you giggle..."

"It's kind of endearing", Haley bit her lips, her eyes were lighting up with something. And had she said _endearing_?

"It's just _me,_ " she looked at him with big eyes, "I really don't see why that would make anyone nervous."

"I am less nervous around you than around other people," he admitted without thinking.

"Oh," Haley paused, "Well, that's a… good thing?"

Neville couldn't meet her eyes. Why had he said that? It was true, though. Mostly.

After a while Haley asked, "Why then?"

Neville sighed, he knew without her having to specify it further that she was asking why he was so nervous, when he was with her right now.

"A-all these people..." he mumbled, almost too faintly for Haley to understad, "It's like… they're all watching and… waiting… for me to… make a mistake or… embarrass myself..."

"Let's...let's pretend, then. Let's pretend they're not here. And it's just the two of us." Haley's voice always sounded so... full of life and enthusiasm. Maybe if he tried… he could let himself be swept up and away by it?

"I don't know... if I can do that."

"You know what they say… If you never try, you'll never know."

Haley's voice sounded so mischievous, that Neville had to look up and see the conspiratorial grin for himself. It was definitely mischievous. Then she winked at him. _Winked_.

And suddenly, maybe because the thought alone – that he was sitting at a table next to Haley Potter at the Yule Ball and she was grinning, no even winking at him, saying she wanted to pretend it was just the two of them, – the thought alone was too absurd to dare imagine it. But in that moment, he forgot that he was nervous, he forgot, that all around them there were people, who were probably watching them and Neville laughed. He laughed and he smiled at Haley Potter, as if there really was no one here but them.

...

"Are you done eating?" Haley asked, interrupting Neville's thoughts. He looked down at his plate. Since they had sat down, he hadn't eaten anything. He'd simply felt too nervous.

"Yeah, I didn't have much of an appetite…"

"Let's go, then," Haley said, while jumping to her feet eagerly.

"Go where?" Neville asked suspiciously. They weren't going to dance or anything, right?

"I thought we could go outside for a bit? Or do you not want to do that?"

"No, that's fine," he replied, relieved that they were going to escape the masses for a while.

He stood from his seat slowly, careful not to break anything. That's what he'd meant to do anyway. But as it was, he caused a cup to fall down, while he was turning around. It landed on the ground with a resounding _clang._

"Oops," he grimaced, looking at the cup in embarrassment. At least it wasn't broken. The sound of giggling told Neville that his little mishap had not gone unnoticed. Without looking at Haley, he knelt down and reached for the cup, but before he could as much as touch it, there was another hand, snatching it from the ground and putting it back on top of the table.

As Neville straightened up again, he was met with stunningly green eyes and a gentle smile that seemed to say _It's okay._ Neville calmed instantly. _How can she be this patient with me?_ he wondered, _she ha_ _s_ _to be the most patient and kind person in all of Hogwarts. Is she regretting coming here with me already?_ No, he shouldn't think that way. He was here now and he would at least _try_ to have a good night. He smiled back shyly, which Haley took as a sign to start walking toward the other end of the hall. Neville caught up to her quickly. They had almost reached the doors, when a figure jumped out of nowhere, blocking their path.

"Haley! It's good that you're here. Did you see Hermione? Did you see who she's come with? She couldn't have forgotten that he's a Durmstrang, right? Haley, are you listening?"

"Yes, Ron. I am listening. I heard every word actually."

"Well good, let's go look for her. We need to tell her that -"

"What exactly do you need to tell her? Seriously, can't you leave her alone for just one night?" Haley asked irritatedly.

"I – but – she's with Krum! Aren't you worried about that at all?"

Neville felt a bit weird standing there and listening to the two friends' almost argument. Was he supposed to give them space or join in on the discussion or pretend like he wasn't… eavesdropping? It wasn't really eavesdropping, though. He hadn't meant to… he'd just happened to be there.

Maybe he should hint that they'd been just on their way out or something. But how did he go about that? How should he phrase it in a way that wasn't rude?

He began with clearing his throat to announce he wanted to say something. The two kept arguing.

Had that been too quiet? He tried again, a little louder this time. The silence came so suddenly that Neville was sure he must have imagined it. The two pairs of eyes that watched him curiously proved that assumption to be wrong.

"What?" Neville asked, too surprised to actually say anything else.

"Did you want to say something?" Ron asked, frowning slightly.

Neville looked to Haley who eyed him attentively.

"Yeah – I – we –" Why couldn't the words come to him easily for once? He took a deep breath and let it out forcefully. This was just Ron. He would simply tell him what he wanted to say. He cleared his throat once more. "We were just going to get some fresh air. So we can't help you look for Hermione."

Ron looked at him for a moment, then he clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Great! I'll come with you. Hermione might be outside. I haven't seen her in here for a while."

Neville frowned. He hadn't meant to get this reaction. He really didn't feel like spending the night with Ron on their heels. Of course Haley was still there. But if he was honest with himself, he'd been hoping to spend some time alone with the girl. Sighing, he looked toward Haley, who was rolling her eyes at Ron. There was a soft grin on the corner of her mouth though, which was only logical. He was her best friend after all. When she caught his gaze, she only shrugged, as if to say _Well what can you do about it?_ It wasn't reassuring at all. It didn't stop him from worrying. And all the while as they were exiting the Great Hall and making their way through the corridors, Neville couldn't help but think that maybe she was actually glad Ron had shown up. Maybe she was actually glad, she didn't have to spend the whole night alone with him.

...

"Where should we look first?" Ron asked, as soon as they had stepped onto the courtyard.

"Ron… I don't really think, we – wait, where is Parvati? Don't tell me you just left her at the ball!" Haley questioned.

"She got mad, because I didn't wanna dance with her," he replied not sounding the least bit sorry.

" _And?_ "Haley urged him to continue with a scary undertone in her voice. Neville shuddered.

"It's not like I abandoned her! She didn't hesitate long before rushing off with some French guy!"

Haley sighed. She was seemingly at a loss for words.

"That wouldn't have been a problem for me." A voice floated through the air toward them. There was a girl standing in the entrance to the courtyard. Her long blonde hair was softly flowing in the light night breeze. Ron and Haley had spotted the girl, that was approaching them slowly as well. Neville was sure he had never seen her before and from his friends' facial expressions it was obvious they didn't know her either.

"Who the bloody hell are you and what makes you think you can just barge in, like this is any of your business?" Ron asked, manners long forgotten. Or had they ever existed?

"Luna," the girl answered simply, "I know who you are. I was looking for Ginny Weasley. We were supposed to meet here but it seems she has other matters to attend to."

It was embarrassingly quiet after her words. Nobody knew how to respond to that.

"Your hair," she watched Ron in an almost fascinated way, that seemed to make him uncomfortable. Neville would feel that way too if someone looked at him like he was a test object.

"I was going to use a lock of Ginny's but yours might do, too," she paused, her eyes never leaving Ron's hair, "It should do just fine, I think."

Ron looked like he'd just seen a spider or something equally unsettling. He looked to Haley for help, who just chuckled amusedly and raised her eyebrows at him. Then she met Neville's eyes and winked at him in a conspiratorial way. She gestured toward the school grounds and held a hand with three fingers up. There was a mad grin on her face. It was two fingers now. One finger. Neville was pulled away by her hand that was gripping his. Before he could blink, they were running.

He was running away with Haley Potter who was holding his hand. He had never felt so free and full of excitement in his life. Had never felt his heart pounding so forcefully. So filled with life.

In the distance he could hear Ron shouting in an almost panicked way, "Haley! Where are you – Neville! Come back. Ow! What do you mean you just need a lock? Help me, Haley!"

The sound of Haley's carefree laughter filled Neville with a sense of happiness he'd never felt before. With her hand in his, there was no reason to be worried anymore. Neville didn't know where they were going but as long as she didn't let go of his hand, he couldn't find it in him to care.

...

* * *

A/N: Hello dear readers! There you have it. The first part of the Yule Ball! Did you like it? I think there will be two or three more chapters. And then... Who knows? Thank you endlessly for reading and leaving likes and reviews! Those make my writer heart happy :) Make sure to check out my Songs of Yesterday sequel, it's called Dreams of Today. And continue to have fun and stuff ! I really hope Luna won't harm Ron...

Till then, Feather :)


	5. With Your Hand In Mine

**5 – With Your Hand In Mine**

"Do you think Ron will be okay?" Neville asked, as him and Haley walked around the grounds with no particular destination in mind.

"Oh, don't worry about him," Haley said, chuckling, "I don't know who that girl is but if she is friends with Ginny, it should be fine."

"I guess," Neville agreed. He wondered if he should ask where they were going. Or whether it was already time to go back to the castle. Haley didn't seem like she was eager to get back just yet. He smiled to himself happily.

"By the way, did you see Ginny tonight? I thought she wanted to attend the ball as well. Didn't she ask a fourth year or something?" Haley asked him.

Neville's eyes widened. He didn't know. Was he supposed to know that? Probably not. But why was Haley looking at him in such an expectant way then?

"I-I…um..." He started to say, but he didn't get any further than that. That's what happens when you try to say something without knowing what you want to say beforehand.

Haley shot him a curious look. Then she laughed amusedly. Neville frowned. He had to stop assuming she was laughing over him, every time she started to laugh.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I guess, you wouldn't know either."

His wariness must have shown on his face, because she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Neville felt heat rushing to his cheeks. How was it possible for a person to be this receptive and kind? And how did he deserve to be on the receiving end of her kindness?

He had to turn away from the soft smile on her face. Otherwise he feared his heart was going to jump right out of his chest.

What he saw as he turned his head made him stop in his tracks.

"Neville?" Haley asked, "What's wrong?"

Neville's eyes widened. She shouldn't have to see that. He had to somehow lead her away without her noticing something was wrong.

"There's nothing…" He started to say but it was no use. Haley had already seen it.

Ginny Weasley who was sitting on a bench next to Michael Corner in a way that seemed more than friendly. They were laughing, seemingly in their own world, noticing nothing but each other.

Neville carefully glanced over at Haley, who was just standing there and watching. She looked like she had just woken up from a pleasant dream only to realise that the reality was a harsh and disappointing world.

She gripped his hand so hard it was bordering on painful. Neville had no idea what he was supposed to do. What would he want her to do, if their positions were switched? Leave him alone? Stay by his side? Try to… make him think of something else?

Haley was crushing his hand. He had tried to endure it but it hurt too much.

"Ow," he said pathetically. At least he didn't whimper.  
Haley looked over at him in surprise. Then her eyes widened and she released his hand.

"Sorry Neville!" She apologized, sounding shocked, "I didn't realise I was…" She glanced over at his hand ruefully.

"It's fine, don't worry," Neville assured her, massaging his hand gently.

"I'm really sorry, I was just surprised is all…" Haley mumbled almost hysterically. There was a slight hitch in her voice. She turned her face away from him for a moment, but he could still see that she was drying off the wetness that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. What in Merlin's name was he supposed to do? She looked so small next to him.

"I guess, now we know which fourth year Ginny went to the ball with," Haley said, chuckling self depreciatingly. This was too much for Neville to handle. He had to _do something_.

"Don't," he said. Haley looked up at him in confusion. Neville stopped to think. He completely let his body take over. Otherwise he never would have been brave enough to do what he did next. He carefully cradled her face in his hands and looked directly into her deep green eyes.

"Don't sell yourself short like that," he said firmly.

Haley blinked at him, still confused. "But I didn't say anything-"

"You were thinking it though. I could tell." He would know. He was the master of doubting and underestimating himself. He couldn't bare seeing Haley doing the same thing to herself.

"Haley, you deserve so much more than him," Neville whispered, stroking her cheek gently, "You deserve someone that sees who you really are. The beautiful and kind person that's inside you. You're so brave and… amazing. You… deserve everything."

After saying that Neville felt like himself again. Like his insecure self that is. His hands started to tremble along with his voice. He panicked. His hands fell back to his sides. What was he doing? What was he-?

"Thank you," Haley mumbled into his chest, where her head was currently resting. She had taken a step toward him and snaked her arms around his middle tightly.

Neville was frozen in shock.

"You can hug me back, you know," Haley said with a chuckle that sounded much more cheerful than the bitter version from before. Was it really okay to-?

The girl looked up at him raising her eyebrows in a challenging way. Neville nervously bit his lips and slowly put his arms around her back. Haley smiled and rested her head against his chest again. Neville had never before realized how short the girl actually was. It was probably due to her aura. She literally emanated strength and bravery. Usually.

He wondered if it was okay to just stand there with Haley Potter in his arms. Was he allowed to enjoy it? He decided he would enjoy the moment as long as it lasted. This was like a dream. As he felt Haley relax into the embrace he himself got calmer, too.

How long would it last? Was he expected to let go first? What if she was already waiting for him to let go but she was too polite to tell him so? Neville tentatively loosened his grip somewhat, giving Haley the chance to do the same. The girl held on tighter. Neville made a confused noise.

Haley chuckled. Then she pulled away and took a step back. There was an amused grin on her face. Neville looked away and cleared his throat.

"Um…"

"Yeah?" Haley urged, "Is there something you wanted to tell me?" There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I- um..." Neville shook his head no. He couldn't shake the feeling that Haley knew exactly how embarrassed he felt about the whole hugging situation. And from the looks of it she was enjoying it immensely.

"That's too bad," she muttered in a disappointed voice, "Should we go back to the castle then?"

"No – I – I mean, if you want to we can go back but – well…"

"But?" Haley prompted, tilting her head in curiosity.

"It's nothing… we should go back, it's already getting late…"

"Do you want to go back?" Haley asked, watching him closely.

"I – I..." Of course he didn't want to go back. If it was for him he never wanted their night to end. But if she wanted to go back…

"I don't want to go back yet," Haley stated quietly. Wait. What?

"You don't?" Neville asked in surprise.

Haley shook her head and tried to suppress a grin. "But if _you_ want to go back…"

"No!" Neville almost shouted, before continuing in a quieter tone, "I mean, no. Actually I…"

"Yes?" Haley urged him to continue.

"I… wanted to show you something." The words had left Neville's mouth before he could further debate with himself whether he should show her or not. Well, it was too late to take them back now.

"What did you want to show me?"

"You'll see when we get there," he mumbled, feeling self-conscious about his plan all of a sudden.

Haley watched him pensively for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Lead the way then," she said, walking around to his left side and taking hold of Neville's uninjured hand.

"Right," he muttered under his breath. How did she expect him to do more than produce a coherent thought when she smiled at him like that?

…

They were walking in silence for a little while. But it was not uncomfortable. At least Neville didn't think it was.

"About earlier…" Haley said quietly, clearing her throat, "I'm sorry. I… honestly don't know why I got so emotional. I…" Haley shook her head, "It was just so unexpected you know?"

"Yeah..." Neville replied. He wanted to know… But it wasn't really his place to ask. No, he'd simply pretend he wasn't curious he'd simply-

" _Neville_." Haley had stopped. She was watching him, with one eyebrow in the air, "Just say it."

"Huh?"

"I don't want you to burst out of curiosity or something," she urged.

"But I – you'll be mad," he argued.

"After what you did tonight I don't think you could say anything to make me mad."

Those words were running down Neville's throat like warm honey. He felt seriously giddy. He took a deep breath. Should he really say it? She squeezed his hand encouragingly. That did him in.

"Do you… regret it?" He asked and instantly regretted asking in the first place.

Haley frowned. She had probably expected something like this.

"I'm..." She paused. It looked like she was choosing her words carefully. She looked down to the ground thoughtfully.

"Not going to the ball with him… I don't regret that. It was the right thing to do. I just wasn't prepared to have to see him tonight. And… then with another girl… And then with that girl being Ginny! It was a bit much." She chuckled softly. Then she looked up at him.

"But… having you as my date and getting to know you better…" She paused, glancing at their intertwined hands for a second, "I definitely don't regret that either."

It was official. At some point over the course of the night Neville had died and was currently floating somewhere above the clouds. It was also possible that he was dreaming. Because this couldn't be real, could it?

"Neville...? Neville?" Haley was saying his name repeatedly. Now she was even waving her hand in front of his face. He blinked.

"Hey Neville, I thought you wanted to show me something?"

"I... yeah. Yeah," Neville mumbled, shaking off his dazedness. He took in their surroundings. In the dark everything looked so different.

"Oh look, we're almost there!" He exclaimed excitedly. He really hoped she'd like his surprise.

With his heart anxiously beating in his chest, Neville led Haley past the green houses toward his secret thinking spot beneath a huge willow. The rivulet had frozen over but he'd been able to shield his patch with a magical cold-resisting cover that Professor Sprout had leant him.

"So yeah…" He said, halting beneath the willow and gesturing around with one hand half-heartedly.

Haley looked around for a moment. "What kind of place is this?" She asked finally.

Neville's heart sank. It had been a stupid idea to bring her here. She didn't seem to like it at all.

"It's – I – I come here to… think," he admitted.

Haley squinted her eyes at him. Then she spotted the patch and her eyes grew wide.

"Did you plant those?" She asked in a surprised voice.

Neville nodded.

"Can you show me?" She asked with her head tilted to the side.

"S-sure," he agreed. He was about to sit down on the ground, so he'd be able to show her everything when he remembered something.

Usually he always brought a blanket or some old robes to sit on when it was this cold and the ground covered in snow. But today he hadn't planned to come here, so they had nowhere to sit but the ground.

"I...um," Neville muttered, watching the ground with a frown. Then he had an idea. He took off his outer robes and spread them out on the ground in front of the patch. He knelt down on top of them, leaving enough space for Haley to sit down.

"Aren't you cold now?" Haley asked, as she sat down next to him.

Neville shook his head. "I – it's fine," he said. The temperature was far from warm but it was bearable. For now.

"Are you sure?" Haley asked sceptically.

"Yeah," he replied, with a little smile.

"Well then," the girl said, "Which kind of plants are those?" She gestured toward the plants in front of them.

There was really only one plant that Neville recognized. It was a flower with midnight blue petals that were laced with silver on the edge. The others were little more than stems with a few tiny leaves.

"This one's called Moonlace," Neville told her, pointing at the flower.

"It's beautiful," Haley said, sounding fascinated.

"Yes," Neville agreed, watching the flower as well, "It's also really useful. Here, have a look."

Neville covered the Moonlace with his hands, leaving only a small hole between his fingers. Haley leaned over to him and closed her right eye so that she was able to take a better look at the flower.

"Woah," Haley whispered in amazement, "It's glowing!"

Neville smiled to himself.

"It's like a compass," he said quietly, "When it's dark and you've lost your way the light leads you exactly to the place you want to be most."

Haley frowned. "How? The petals weren't glowing in a particular way. It seemed more like the whole flower was glowing."

Neville let go of the Moonlace. "That's probably be-because I – I haven't lost my way..."

He had another theory. It was also possible that the whole flower had been glowing because there was no place he'd rather be at in that moment than here. At his favourite spot. Together with Haley. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

As the girl kept watching the flower she started to sigh. Had he done something wrong?

"W-what's wrong?" He asked hesitantly. Was it even his place to ask? What if she didn't want to talk about it?

"I just-" Another sigh, "I just wish there was a magical flower that could turn me into a fish or something."

Neville watched her in confusion. Had he heard her right?

"A fish?" He asked.

"Yeah," Haley agreed, "Or – I don't know, anything with the ability to breathe underwater, I guess."

She looked really troubled all of a sudden. Was she serious? Or was she only joking?

"I – um… you could always try Gillyweed," he advised.

"What?" Haley asked confusedly.

Neville coughed awkwardly. He was almost sure this was a joke and he was too stupid to get it.

"Um… well Gillyweed. That's a water plant that… well you have to eat it and then… you grow gills and… you can breathe underwater."

He felt even more stupid after saying that. Haley turned to him with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Is that true?" She asked in a voice that sounded strangely hopeful.

"Um… yes?" Neville said, the words sounding more like a question.

"Really?" She asked another time, her eyes never leaving his.

"Yes." Neville nodded in confirmation.

"You're not pulling my leg?"

"No… I'm not pulling your-"

"Neville!" Haley exclaimed. She grabbed both of his hands, holding them tightly. She seemed really excited. She was practically beaming at him! But it couldn't be because of his words, could it?

"You're a _genius_!" The girl all but squealed, before attacking him with a hug.

What. The Heck. Was going on?

"I won't be drowning after all. This is amazing!" Haley said, laughing happily. She pulled away from him then but there was still a big grin on her face.

"W-what do you mean "drowning"?" Neville asked in wonder.

"Oh right, I never told you about the Second Task, did I?"

"No..."

"So basically we need to get back something that has been taken from us within an hour. But the tricky thing is, the whole task is going to take place inside the Great Lake."

"You mean underwater?" Neville inquired.

"Exactly," Haley confirmed, "I've been worrying myself to death over this problem! I should have asked you straight away!"

The way she looked at Neville, eyes full of happiness and joy. This was the way she was supposed to look, carefree and full of life. What a beautiful sight it was.

Neville already hated himself for what he had to do next. But it was better than giving her false hope.

"Gillyweed, it's…" He bit his lips uncomfortably, "It's really rare. I wouldn't know… where to find it."

Haley didn't seem discouraged in the least.

"That's okay," she said, "I'll find some. I bet Snape has a sample of it in his private storage."

Then Neville got another idea. Perhaps…

"Maybe we could…" He trailed off… looking for something inside the pockets of his robes. He couldn't find anything. Usually he always carried around some seeds with him. It was a habit. You never knew if you got the chance to plant them somewhere. But tonight he was wearing his dress robes.

Was it possible that there were still seeds under the tree? It was unlikely he'd find some considering the blanket of snow that was covering the ground. But he had to try.

"Neville what are you doing?" Haley asked, as he started to move away some of the snow around them. He couldn't believe his eyes, as he spotted a lone acorn that seemed fairly unharmed by the seasons. It was only one. But maybe it was enough.

"Here," he said, offering the acorn to Haley like it was a rare treasure.

The girl looked at him, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Um… thanks," she replied, turning it over in her hands, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Um… plant it?" He advised, suppressing a grin. Now, he felt like he was the playful one of the two.

"But it's an acorn?"

Neville chuckled. "I know but… you see, this is no ordinary patch of earth. It's… well I don't know how it works exactly but it doesn't really matter which seeds you plant. I once put some apple seeds in here and a few weeks later they had become Fluxweed. It's as if the earth itself decides what the seeds should turn into."

"You mean-?" Haley asked, looking at him in wonder.

"It's worth a try, I think," Neville mused, "I've never tried it myself but it's possible that the earth responds to the mood of the person that plants something..."

"So, if I plant this while thinking about Gillyweed really hard…"

"It might work," Neville encouraged her. Haley watched him for a moment, considering his idea.

Then she grinned. "Let's do it."

There was a free spot a little to the right of the Moonlace. Neville pushed the cover away a bit and started to dig up a small hole. This was easy. He knew what to do when it came to earth and plants.

Once he was done, he gestured for Haley to put the acorn inside the hole. The girl carefully let the nut sink into the hole and began to gently cover it with earth. She seemed to be completely focused on her task and even placed her hands on the earth after she was done.

"Please grow," she whispered to the earth with closed eyes. It was kind of cute. No. It was easily the most adorable thing Neville had ever seen. Without thinking about it he found himself smiling softly.

He didn't know how long she sat there, softly whispering to the earth but at some point she turned back to him and took his left hand in hers.

"Thank you, Nev–you're freezing!" She sounded shocked at the realisation. Neville hadn't even noticed how cold it was. Being around Haley filled him with a warm feeling he'd never experienced before. But the girl was right. His hands were shaking slightly and slowly started to turn blue. He could only imagine what his face probably looked like.

"Why didn't you say anything, Neville?" Haley asked sounding terribly worried, "We need to get you back inside." She started to rub his hands with her own, trying to get some warmth back into his hands.

"I-I d-didn't r-realise…" Neville stuttered, his lower lip was trembling from the cold. Without them noticing, an icy wind had picked up around them.

"Can you get up?" Haley asked, as she got to her feet and tried to pull him up with her.

"W-W-Wait a s-second, I-I-I n-need to…" Neville pulled the cover back over the plants. He couldn't leave them unprotected when it was so cold.

He let Haley help him up while reaching for his outer robes they had used as a blanket. They were completely soaked.

"Neville..." Haley whispered as she watched him, her eyes showing nothing but concern. There was a tight feeling in his chest and it had nothing to do with the cold. He tried not to shiver too much. The girl was worried enough as it was. He tried to smile reassuringly but it was nearly impossible with his trembling lower lip.

"Idiot," Haley muttered, as she pulled her outer robes over her head.

"W-W-What a-are y-y-you-?"

"Here," she said, handing him her outer robes expectantly.

He couldn't take them. Then it would be Haley who'd freeze herself to death.

"Bu-Bu-Bu-But," He started to say. But it was so cold. And his lips were trembling like crazy.

"If you don't take them I'm going to hex your ears off."

Neville sighed. Haley was too stubborn for her own good. He pulled the robes around him tightly and started to feel better at once. They were impossibly warm. And they smelled _so_ nice. Was this what Haley smelled like? He inhaled carefully. Was it vanilla? Or cinnamon? Or something flowery? It was a scent that definitely fit with her personality. Making him feel warm all over again.

Neville looked up to see the girl grinning at him. Had she seen him smelling her robes? He blushed. This was so embarrassing!

Haley chuckled. "You look like a Slytherin now," she stated. Neville looked down on himself. It was true that the colour of the robes was almost the same green as the one the Slytherin's usually wore but that didn't mean he looked like one of them.

He noticed how Haley shivered as the wind around them seemed to get even colder. The mint green dress robes she was wearing really brought out the sparkling green in her eyes. But the thin fabric didn't look like it was warm.

"Aren't you beautiful?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Huh?" She looked at him in surprise.

That's when he realized his mistake. "I – I meant _"cold"_. Aren't you _cold_. I mean – not that you're not beautiful – o-of c-course you are – b-but – I – I didn't…" He looked to the ground, biting his lips nervously.

"Thank you," Haley whispered. Neville looked up just in time to see a tiny smile on the girl's lips. He was relieved that she wasn't laughing at him.

"But you're right. It's terribly cold," she said with a quiet laugh, rubbing her arms to try and warm up.

Neville didn't even have to think about it. He reached for his (originally Haley's) outer robes and started to pull them off. But Haley stopped him.

"Wait," she told him, as she reached for something next to her waist. "Where's my-?" She asked in confusion.

"Oh right," she said with a laugh, "you're wearing my robes."

Haley took a step closer to Neville. He suppressed the urge to move a step backwards. Why was she coming so close? The girl reached for his (her) robes and fetched her wand from one of the inside pockets.

"There it is," she mumbled, as her hand accidentally brushed against his chest.

It didn't last longer than a second but it was enough to make Neville shiver. And this time the shiver had nothing to do with the cold.

" _Engorgio_ ," Haley whispered, successfully hexing her robes larger.

"See? Now we're both nice and warm," the girl said with a grin as she took one side of the robes that were hanging over his shoulder and wrapped it around herself.

Neville's heart was pounding so hard at her sudden proximity that he was afraid, she would hear it. This was too much for his heart. He suddenly felt too hot, almost feverish. Any second now he would faint or something. How embarrassing would that be?

He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. _It's okay_ , he told himself, _this is probably only a dream. It's just a dream. Just a dream. I'll wake up soon enough…_

"Neville?" Haley asked cautiously, "Neville are you okay?"

There was a cold hand on his forehead then.

"You're burning up!" Haley exclaimed. She sounded really worried. Neville didn't want to worry her. There was enough the girl had to worry over. He didn't want to add to that uselessly. He shook his head, which felt much clearer after his realisation.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he reassured her.

"Really?" She still sounded way too worried for his liking.

"Yes, it's nothing," Neville confirmed and in a daring move, he took the hand, that she had placed on his forehead, in his and gave it a little squeeze.

"Okay," she breathed, squeezing back after a moment. Another shiver ran up his left arm. Starting from where their fingers touched and spreading all over his body, filling him up with a calming warmth. He squeezed her hand another time. Just because he wanted to.

Haley chuckled, looking up at him with an amused grin that made her eyes shine like little stars. She was truly…

"Beautiful," he said, without meaning to, "I – I didn't mean to-" Oops. He was embarrassing himself again. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut for just one second?

"Neville, stop it," The girl said, seemingly embarrassed herself, "If you keep doing that you're going to turn me into a giggling and blushing idiot."

She looked to the ground but Neville was still able to see the hint of redness on her cheeks. Merlin. This was unbelievable! Had he just made Haley Potter blush?

Haley wasn't looking at him but she was still holding his hand. She squeezed once softly, reassuring him that it was okay.

It wasn't much and it didn't last longer than a second but that tiny squeeze of her hand made Neville experience two different things. He was soaring high up in the air along with the butterflies that were cheerfully fluttering around in his stomach while at the same time he felt more grounded to reality than he ever had before.

…

* * *

A/N: I have no idea how this got so fluffy but anyway... Here it is! I'm sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. But to make up for it I accidentally created this fluff-fest. I hope it didn't make all of your teeth rot. I'd love to hear what you think of it! And thank you so much for reading, reviewing and generally giving this fic so much love :)

For those of you who know their British I have a question: Are there any typical pet names that parents use with their children? Cause I'm writing a new story atm where Lily and James are still alive and I was wondering if there was any term of endearment Lily would use when she's addressing Haley. Or do you think she wouldn't use such a term at all?

Well anyway, have fun and keep reading, Feather :)


	6. When It Gets Hard

**6 – When It Gets Hard**

Neville didn't want to wake up. He had just had the most amazing dream in his short life and the last thing he wanted was to return to reality. He clung to the remains of his dream almost desperately. But in the end he had to give up and let go. With a sigh he opened his eyes. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him.

He hadn't had such a vivid dream in a long time. He could still remember the feel of Haley in his arms. Feel the smoothness of her skin beneath his hands. He remembered the delighted expression on the girl's face after he had told her about the gillyweed. What a weird dream. Perhaps he had read too much in the book Moody had given him. _Gillyweed._ As if Haley would be happy about some water plant.

But why couldn't he shake the feeling that it hadn't been a dream? He still remembered, feeling like he was about to freeze to death until Haley had given him her robes… But what had happened after that? He tried to remember but his mind was kind of fuzzy.

Slowly, Neville got out of his bed. It was strangely quiet inside the dorms. Had everyone already gone down to breakfast? But it was the weekend. He was sure of that. Still feeling tired, he got dressed in comfortable and warm clothes and left the dorm. There weren't many students in the common room. Which made sense, since it was most likely time for breakfast. Among the few people that were actually there he spotted the infamous golden trio at their usual corner. Haley was there, too… Almost as if she had heard him thinking her name, the girl looked up and met his eyes. Surprise was written all over her face. And also… relief? Before he had the chance to wonder why the sight of him would cause her to feel relieved, she had already jumped to her feet and started to walk over.

"Neville," the girl said, as soon as she had reached him, "How are you feeling?"

"I..." All of a sudden Neville felt inexplicably nervous. Her face was so close. It reminded him of the dream he had had. Or _had_ it been a dream? It couldn't have been anything else, could it?

"I was really worried, you know." She looked at him almost accusingly.

"What? Why would you…?" He asked in confusion. Why would she be worried? Unless…

Haley hit his arm softly, frowning.

"Don't you remember? You went and almost got yourself frozen to death!" she exclaimed.

What? Did that mean…

"Good thing we found Hermione who –"

"Who reminded you of the fact that you two were _wizards_ ," another voice interrupted. It was Hermione. She had silently come up behind Haley.

"Seriously, how neither of you thought of conjuring up a blanket or magically drying Neville's cloak, is beyond me," she clicked her tongue in disapproval, "At least Haley thought as far as to enlarge her own cloak."

"Yeah, well," Haley offered sheepishly.

"So… that really happened?" Neville asked. It was a foolish question. But it was fitting in a way. Not knowing for sure whether last night had been a dream or not did make him feel like a fool.

Haley nodded. She kept watching him worriedly. He didn't think he could get used to that. He didn't know whether he wanted to.

"The Yule Ball?" He questioned, to which Haley nodded, "And everything… after?"

Haley nodded again. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Neville felt heat rush to his face.

"Wow." The word fell out of his mouth without anything sensible to cushion its bluntness. Still, it was anything but easy to come to terms with the fact that last night had _not_ been a dream. That he _had_ gone to the Yule Ball with Haley Potter. That they had danced and laughed and held hands. They had even hugged.

"And the kiss," Haley said, effectively making Neville's heart stop. _What?_

"The _kiss_ _?_ " He almost screeched, voice unnaturally high. He stared at the girl in front of him, utterly flabbergasted.

"Well, the kiss," Haley repeated, "Don't you remember?"

Neville was speechless. She had to be pulling his leg, right? This couldn't be true. Even if it was, he would surely remember kissing her, wouldn't he? From the corners of his eyes he noticed Hermione's gaze wandering back and forth between Haley and him curiously. Then she looked at his hand that Haley was still clutching. He felt his hand starting to get sweaty, so he pulled it away self-consciously.

Neville shook his head, frowning. "I-I d-d-don't know w-what you're-"

Then a grin appeared on the girl's face. "Sorry, Neville," she apologised, "I was kidding. I couldn't resist."

So they hadn't kissed after all? Her admission filled him with relief and disappointment at the same time. Although he was disappointed that he hadn't got to kiss her, he was actually glad, that he hadn't kissed her and forgotten about it. If he ever got the chance to kiss Haley Potter he wanted to remember it.

"Are you mad?" Haley asked hesitantly, touching his arm.

Neville shook his head. He wasn't mad. Not really. It had been nothing more than a little joke, hadn't it?

Haley sighed, closing her eyes. As she opened them again, Neville saw nothing but warmth directed at him. "I'm just so glad, that you're okay. I was kind of worried," she admitted quietly, squeezing his arm.

If he was honest he didn't know whether he _was_ okay. But that might have to do more with the way Haley was looking at him than with him almost freezing to death last night.

"Kind of?" Asked a third voice that belonged to none other than Ron Weasley. "You've been bugging us all morning, wondering whether _th_ _is_ _one_ was all right," he continued, with a nod in Neville's direction.

" _Ron!_ That's not –" Haley turned to Ron who was standing to her left and elbowed him. There was a hint of pink sprinkled across her cheeks. Or was Neville just imagining that? He grinned to himself, as he watched the two of them squabble playfully. A week ago the sight would have elicited a certain wistfulness and longing in him. But now… he wasn't watching from the outside any more. He was slowly being pulled into… _this_ – whatever _this_ was.

He wasn't the only one who was silently watching. To his left he noticed that Hermione's eyes were fixed on him. She raised her eyebrows at him in a way that seemed to say, _I caught you. I know exactly what you're thinking_. Neville's eyes widened. Was it that easy to read him? Would she tell Haley? But before he could ask either of those questions, Hermione grinned at him and winked. Huh? This was possibly the first time he had ever seen her wink! What a weird sight. Did it mean his secret was safe with her? Or did it mean the opposite? With a determined look, she turned to Ron and Haley. Neville swallowed nervously.

"Is it okay with you if we miss breakfast?" She asked pointedly, "Because I'm sure there won't be much left if we don't get going soon."

It was almost comical, how Haley's and Ron's eyes simultaneously widened.

…

"After we got back to the castle and found Hermione, she did this spell to warm up your clothes. It was brilliant. I really need to ask her to teach me that," Haley told him as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

"And then we went to Madam Pomfrey, who was luckily still in the Great Hall, and had her take a look at your condition. She wasn't exactly thrilled because it was technically her day off. But you know her. She likes helping people. So she went up to the Infirmary and got you some fancy orange potion and you were better in a second." Haley beamed at him. Neville slowly started to remember those details about last night.

"And then?" He asked.

"Well, you were really weak after drinking that potion so maybe that's why you're having trouble remembering… anyway Ron helped getting you up to the tower and to the dorms. And then… I guess, you fell asleep," Haley concluded.

Well, that sounded like a rather unspectacular end to such an extraordinary night.

So, what did it mean for them? Where did they stand now? Did it mean they were real friends and not merely house mates any more? Or was there even the possibility of more than that? He knew he shouldn't be greedy like that. He should be happy that Haley even considered him a friend.

There was a small crowd of students lingering outside the Great Hall. Neville wasn't sure whether he was imagining things but somehow he got the feeling that their whispers were getting more intense the closer the four of them got. It was logical that the volume increased the closer they got but Neville couldn't shake the feeling that the whispering gained in intensity _because_ they got closer. Which was completely stupid. But wasn't that girl pointing her finger at him? And that guy, wasn't he watching Neville curiously? Feeling uncertain, he glanced over at Haley who had noticed the staring as well. Her eyebrows were knitted together in a frown. Hermione who was walking in front of them together with Ron, turned around and met Haley's eyes for a second. Their silent communication ended with a shrug from Haley, which caused Hermione to turn back around and keep walking.

"Did no one ever teach you that staring at people is incredibly rude?" She chided the group of students in her most condescending tone of voice. Without sparing them another glance Hermione marched past them into the Great Hall, Ron and Haley right behind her. Neville didn't hesitate long before he followed them. It almost seemed as if they were used to a display like that. Then again, with everything Haley had gone through the past years, they probably were.

"What was that about?" Neville asked as soon as he had reached the trio.

The moment, they had entered it had gone abruptly quiet inside the Hall. It was almost as if every inhabitant of the castle had been talking about them just seconds before.

Haley looked around the Hall, a weary expression on her face. "I'm sure we'll find out in a second," she muttered, before taking a seat at the long Gryffindor table.

…

The atmosphere during breakfast was more than a little tense. After the initial silence the whispering had picked up again and Neville still felt as though there were millions of eyes watching him, students whispering and pointing their fingers at him. He was going insane! The whispers got louder and louder, until –

"Haley," Hermione said hesitantly, her face partly hidden behind a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ , "I think, you should see this." She handed the news paper to the girl, that was sitting next to him. In doing that, she shot him a look that seemed a mix between apologetic and sympathetic.

Haley took the news paper and scanned the front page for anything scandalous or shocking. She gasped quietly and looked up at Neville. There was sympathy in her eyes as well.

Neville couldn't take it any more. What was so terrible that people whispered about him and pitied him?

The article on the front page gave him an answer in an unnecessarily detailed way:

 _THE GIRL WHO LIVED FANCIES UNTALENTED BRAINLESS SQUIBS_

Beneath that horrible heading there was a moving photograph that showed Haley walking toward Neville and hugging him. Neville swallowed anxiously. Did he really want to know what the actual article said?

 _The previous night, Haley Potter (13, Hogwarts champion), has been spotted attending the Yule Ball at Hogwarts (which was held as a part of the Triwizard Tournament) with none other than Neville Longbottom. Neville, who? Longbottom is in the same year as Potter and apparently they also share the same house (Gryffindor). Other than that, we asked ourselves what it was that made the boy the object of our champion's affections. This is what we found out: According to teachers and his fellow students Longbottom constantly messes up spells and has difficulties even holding his wand in the right way. Some of the students told us they wonder how he made it this far (schoolwise) in the first place and even suspect he somehow cheated his way into the school and is actually a squib pretending to be a wizard. Considering this information, what is it that made Potter chose him as her date for the Yule Ball? Was it merely an act of pity or is there more to the story? In order to provide our readers with the full picture we actually found out about a deeper connection between the two. To some of our readers the name Longbottom surely rings a bell. Others may be too young to remember that the Longbottoms used to be famous aurors a few years back. After the fall of you-know-who 13 years ago, they seemingly disappeared from the wizarding world. But where did they disappear to? Did they die? Is that the reason why Longbottom has been living with his grandmother since he was a child? As a matter of fact we found out that Alice and Frank Longbottom have been residing in St Mungo's for the last couple of years –_

The article went on for a couple more lines but Neville couldn't keep reading. He was in a state of shock. He felt much too hot all of a sudden and there was a burning sensation behind his eyes and inside his throat. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be! It couldn't…

He looked around, feeling like a trapped animal. Then he finally recognised the emotion on the faces of his housemates for what it was: Pity. He jumped to his feet, causing a jug of pumpkin juice to spill all over the table. Away. He had to get away.

"Neville, wait!" A voice called after him. Haley. But not even _she_ could stop him. He didn't want to turn around only to find a pitying expression on her face as well. So he ran. Never looking back.

…

His feet hadn't taken him all that far. In fact, he had collapsed on a bench in the courtyard near the Transfigurations class room soon after leaving the Great Hall. That was also when he allowed the tears to fall. It was stupid to cry. Why was he doing it in the first place? Was he ashamed of his parents? No. But he hadn't wanted for people to find out about them like this.

Being ridiculed and made fun of he could deal with. It wasn't pleasant to read something like this in the paper of course but still… People were doing that to his face and behind his back all the time. But bringing his parents into it? His parents that couldn't even defend themselves against the cruel words? That wasn't fair. How had the press even found about about them in the first place?

Was everyone going to treat him differently now? What about Haley? Would she still want to spend time with him after finding out about the mental state of his parents? Why wasn't he allowed to have something good and actually keep it for once? He sobbed, burying his face in his hands. Neville didn't know how much time went by. He just sat there, listening to his own worry-filled thoughts. He only realized how cold he was once he felt a warm weight settle on his back.

"One of these days you're going to actually freeze yourself to death, you know," someone whispered.

He didn't need to look up to know who the voice belonged to. He did so anyway, out of reflex. There she was. Haley. She was crouching in front of him and looking at him like he had not just completely ruined her reputation. Why was she here?

"W-what are you d-doing here?" He asked, voice sounding slightly wobbly. He sniffled miserably.

"Looking for you, obviously," the girl answered softly. There was the hint of a smile on her face that seemed the tiniest bit sad.

"Why?" Neville asked dumbly. He didn't understand why she was still talking to him. Haley frowned almost as if she was confused by the question.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked, seemingly puzzled.

Neville just shrugged. He felt the cold now. Despite the warm weight of the cloak on his back.

"You shouldn't be here," he whispered, his voice sounded strangely hollow. He looked away. It was too painful to look at her while knowing she was going to leave sooner or later anyway. He didn't blame her.

"What are you talk-"

"What if someone sees you here? With me? They're going to think that it's true! What the article says – that you and me – that you f-fancy m-me." Neville didn't know why he was so angry. He didn't want to lash out at Haley. But for some reason he couldn't stop. With one hand he brushed away the tears that were starting to blur his vision again. This time they were caused by anger and frustration. "I understand if you don't want that. I'm not stupid, I know who I am. You can't want that. They are going to spread rumours and talk behind your back and –" he shuddered, taking a calming breath, "Anyway, I won't blame you for leaving me behind." It hurt. The thought alone hurt so much he wanted to scream. He didn't want to be alone again. But he couldn't be selfish. Not with her.

He could feel her gaze on him but he was afraid to look up. He wondered when she was going to leave. Why wasn't she leaving? Why wasn't she saying anything?

"I'm not leaving."

Those three little words made him look up instantly.

"W-what?" He asked disbelievingly. Why was her face so close all of a sudden? And why was there so much warmth in her sparkling eyes?

"I'm not leaving," she repeated, determination seeping into her words, "I don't care about the rumours. Let them talk." _What?_ Neville was overwhelmed by the words she was saying. And then as if to underline her words she took his freezing hand into hers, sending shivers of warmth up his arm.

"Huh?" He responded cleverly.

Haley chuckled. "You know, I stopped caring about what other people think ages ago. Kind of the only good thing that came out of the whole 'heir of Slytherin' business in second year." She shrugged, grinning at him.

"I..." He began but didn't know how to continue. Where was this conversation headed?

"Neville, I..." Haley's voice had a more serious undertone now. The emotions on her face were hard to distinguish. Mostly she looked serious and worried; but there was also the hint of sympathy there and… could that be… regret?

"I'm sorry," she whispered. The words were even more perplexing than the 'I'm not leaving' had been. What was she sorry for?

"I don't – why are you apologizing?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"It's because I… I haven't been a good friend to you," she admitted, looking away in embarrassment. There it was again. _Friend_. One syllable. A seemingly insignificant word. But how was it possible that it made him feel happy and disappointed at the same time? But wait, what had she said just now?

"What?" He questioned for what felt like the hundredth time that day today.

"Well, it's… all this time I knew you were living with your grandmother but I never… thought of asking why." She shrugged. "I never cared enough. What does that say about me?"

She seemed to be really bothered by this. She couldn't even look at him.

"It's not your fault," he whispered, not knowing what else to say, "I didn't expect you to ask. I could have brought it up myself. It's… it's not like anyone else ever asked."

"But that's even worse!" Haley exclaimed, there was a fire in her eyes when she looked at him again. "We've been in the same house for nearly five years! Your dormmates should have asked. I should have asked. I wish I had… especially with my own parents–" She stopped herself there for a second "I mean, obviously your parents are not… are – still alive but… I could have related… to some extent."

"I-It's not your fault," Neville repeated, at a loss for words. He didn't want Haley to blame herself. It wasn't right. "You've done more than enough for me." It was true. She had helped him in more ways than one over the years.

Haley shook her head in protest. "I'm going to make it up to you," she said in a determined voice, "Tell me about them."

It took a moment for Neville to grasp the meaning behind her words. She wanted him to tell her? About his parents?

The lack of response seemed to make her doubt her words. "I mean… you don't have to obviously. I just thought… you might like to."

Neville was tempted. He _did_ want to. He never really talked about his parents to anyone. His grandmother was one of the toughest people he knew but it still made her sad to talk about her son and daughter-in-law. So Neville tried not to ask her too many questions about them.

"My parents," Neville started to say and abruptly stopped again. _My parents_. His tongue wasn't used to those words.

"My parents," he tried again, this time with more confidence, "Do you really want to hear about them? You probably read all about them in the article already." Toward the end his voice got quieter until it was nothing more than a whisper. Although Neville avoided looking into Haley's eyes, he saw her give a shrug.

"The article didn't say much," she informed him.

"It didn't?" Neville made a surprised noise that sounded awfully similar to a shriek.

Haley shook her head. "No, it only said that they were staying at St. Mungo's," she stated.

Neville's heart sank. For a moment he had let himself hope that it wasn't so bad. That she hadn't read the whole article. Or that she by chance hadn't seen the part about St. Mungo's. But obviously she had. He felt her gently squeeze his hand. But for the first time the slight pressure didn't reassure him. It sent a surge of fear through him instead. He didn't want to lose this. This connection that had formed between them. He liked having somebody to talk to, somebody who seemed to really care about him. Had it all been his imagination? Wishful thinking? Was she just here because she pitied him? Or worse, because she wanted to get all of the details about his parents directly from the source?

"Hey," Haley whispered, squeezing his hand again. He pulled his hand out of her grasp without thinking about it. He turned his head to the side.

Haley frowned. "Neville, what-?"

"I know… what you want to ask. Just do it," he said. He wanted to make the words sound angry and like he didn't actually care but they came out sad and defeated instead.

"I'm… not quite sure I know what you want me to say," Haley said in a small, uncertain voice. Neville still didn't look at her.

"You want to know… if they're crazy… don't you?" He had to almost force the words out, holding onto the bench underneath him fiercely. It was silent for a few seconds. Or had it been it minutes?

"I – what?" The girl stuttered finally.

Neville felt himself grow impatient. He wanted this to be over. Why did she have to drag it out and make him suffer even more?

"My parents," he said, with a sigh, "You wanted to know how _crazy_ they are, didn't you?" His voice and the words he was saying sounded disgusting to his own ears. But it was what everyone else thought anyway, right?

"Neville." Someone said tenderly. It sounded like Haley but… but – how could it have been _her_? Why would she speak his name in such an affectionate manner? He turned to look at her and the obvious confusion in her face mirrored his own. But why was she confused?

"Why would I think something like that about your parents?" She asked, the crease between her brows deepening.

"B-but j-just now – you-you said – St. M-Mungo's–"

"So…?"

The questioning look on Haley's face made something dawn on him. Could it be…? She had lived with muggles all her live… Could it be… that she really didn't know?

"What… do you know… about… St. Mungo's?" The words came sluggishly as if he had to pull each of them out of his mouth individually.

The question seemed to surprise her. "Um… it's a… hospital, isn't it?" She asked more than said hesitantly.

Neville nodded slowly. "You… um… y-you don't know… what people say about it?"

Haley shook her head sheepishly. "I don't really know much more than the name," she admitted.

She didn't know. He had almost worried himself stupid – and she didn't know. The thought of simply not telling her was awfully tempting. If she didn't know, perhaps they could just go back to the way it had been before? But no. That was stupid. She would find out sooner or later. Wasn't it better if he was the one who told her?

"It's run by wizards, isn't it?" Haley asked in a surprisingly excited tone, that successfully disrupted his thoughts.

"Yes," he confirmed, "of course, it is." What a weird question.

"How exciting!" She exclaimed, curiosity written all over her face. Something warm spread all over Neville's chest and made him smile involuntarily. The honest excitement touched something inside of him, despite the current state of his mind. He swallowed thickly. But the warm feeling was still there. He desperately hoped it wouldn't ever go away.

"Sorry," Haley said, seemingly embarrassed over her sudden bout of excitement.

"It's just… I've never been to a wizard hospital – and – I mean I'm glad I never had to go there until now but – I don't know… It's just…. You know?" She chuckled softly, ending her speech with a non-committal shrug. She smiled up at him and the dip of her lips and the sprinkle of pink around her cheeks was enough to calm some of his doubts. How could he have ever thought she wanted to deceive him?

"So…" Haley began hesitantly, "what _do_ they say about St. Mungo's?"

"Um…" Where did he start? "Well… it is a hospital but…it's also famous for the… m-mental ward," he shrugged, "you know, for people with m-mental disorders…"

Haley's lips formed a surprised "Oh." She silently waited for more of an explanation.

"They used to be aurors" Neville found himself saying after pausing for a second, "My parents – they – they fought against you-know-who… in the war." It was funny. He had heard his grandmother say words similar to that a hundred times before – her voice always filled with pride. And now… now he was the one praising his parents' bravery. Except it didn't feel like _praising_. Not in the slightest.

"I didn't know that," Haley whispered, "I mean, I read about it in the article but – before – I didn't know about it before."

Neville shrugged. There weren't a lot people who knew about it. Or if they knew, they had long forgotten about it. Or stopped to care… He didn't know whether he preferred the way it had been before over the careless way in which those facts had been revealed.

Haley's voice was soft, a gentle whisper as she asked him the question he had almost wished she wouldn't.

"What happened to your parents, Neville?"

It was a simple question, really. He remembered asking his grandmother almost the same thing after they got back from one of their visits to St. Mungo's. _What happened to my parents, grandma? Is something wrong with them? Why don't they know who I am?_ Answering those questions was anything but easy. It hadn't been easy then and it was anything but easy now.

"They… they were attacked by Death Eaters," Neville started in a quiet voice, "It was... you-you-know-who was already gone and a group of them went around… looking for him." Neville paused, taking a deep breath. He had to brace himself for what was coming next.

"They thought… my parents knew where he was – they were sure of it! And when my parents didn't tell them what they wanted to know… they – they–" He shuddered. He couldn't continue. It was too much.

"Neville," Haley breathed, "I understand if it's too much… You-you don't have to–"

"No. No, I–" He couldn't stop now. He owed his parents that much. "They t-tortured them. They used the _Cruci-Cruciatus C-Curse_ on them." Haley's eyes widened. Was she thinking of Moody's spider as well?

"They used it again and again until–" The image of the squirming and writhing spider on Moody's table was fresh in Neville's mind. The spider's anguish was replaying in front of his inner eye in a sheer endless loop of agony. "Until something inside of them broke… Until they just… lost their mind."

Neville released a shuddering breath. It was out now. He had done his part. Now all that was left for him to do was wait for the girl's reaction. His words were followed with silence. It was a tense silence. Not at all comfortable or reassuring. It stretched on until he couldn't take it any longer. He needed to know what Haley _thought_. As he looked at the girl he noticed her watery eyes first.

"Neville, I had _no idea_ ," she remarked at last, her eyes trained to the ground.

Neville shrugged. He was doing that a lot today.

Slowly, Haley got up from the ground where she had been kneeling and took a seat next to him on the bench. Gently, she removed one of his freezing hands from where it was still holding onto the bench and enclosed it in her own.

Neville opened his mouth in surprise. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say or whether he even wanted to say anything. But perhaps he didn't have to. Because in that moment Haley leaned closer and wrapped her arms around his middle. Before her he had only ever hugged his grandmother. Occasionally. But now… this was already the second time in two days that she was hugging him. She was holding him so tightly. And right then he felt all the remaining cold, that had settled underneath his skin, slowly disappear. It felt amazingly comforting. When she pulled away, Neville couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Who knew, when she would feel like hugging him again?

"How are they now? Do you see them often?" She asked softly, taking his hand again and running her thumb over the back of it gently.

"I visit them during the holidays," he answered without thinking. Her touch was really distracting.

"With grandma," he added absently. There was a soft smile on Haley's face. He wanted to smile back but it didn't seem right. At least not with what he was about to say. He looked away.

"They're physically fine but… they don't really... recognise me," he admitted and once again he was hit with the unfairness of the whole situation. He hated feeling like this. Like they somehow betrayed him. Like they abandoned him. But it wasn't their fault. None of it was. Neither being hit with the _Cruciatus_ _Curse_ , nor not being able to recognise their only son. Still. Just thinking about it made him so angry.

 _Ungrateful_ , hissed a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his grandmother. She was right. At least he still _had_ parents. He should be grateful for that. And he _was_. But that didn't make it easier. Or all right.

Haley squeezed his hand. He turned to look at her and when she looked back at him he saw a mix of compassion and sadness in her eyes. She didn't say anything. Well, what was their to say? Neville looked away. "So, now you know," he said quietly, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Thank you for telling me," Haley whispered, still stroking over his hand softly, "I know… it couldn't have been easy."

She was right. It hadn't been easy. But he did feel better now after talking about it and having her listen.

"I wish… there was something I could say to make you feel better," Haley said and the urgency in her voice made him look at her.

Neville shook his head. "You don't have to say anything," he argued, shaking his head, "Just… being here and listening… that's already making me feel better."

"It's the least I could do," she insisted, "And in the future… I want you to know that you can always come talk to me. No matter what it's about. Just come to me and I'll listen." She smiled at him. "And if you're lucky I'll even give you a word of advice," she added with a cheeky grin. It seemed almost too good to be true. All this time he had feared he was going to be left alone and now she was basically telling him that she was here for him. Could he really have that?

"I-I really appreciate that," he said finally, "A-and I'll make sure not to b-bother you when there are people around." It would be fine that way, right? He could accept her offer without damaging her public image.

For some reason Haley didn't seem to like his idea though. There was a deep crease between her two eyebrows.

"Neville, what are you talking about?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Well – I just… people are going to get the wr-wrong i-idea if they see us t-together…"

"You're an idiot. I told you it doesn't matter to me what other people think. I don't care about that!" She insisted. There was an intense look in her green eyes. Neville swallowed. The intensity was kind of scary. Was she trying to burn a hole into his eyes? He couldn't look away. Even if he wanted to.

After what felt like a small eternity the expression on Haley's face softened considerably. Her voice, too was startlingly soft when she said her next words.

"I care about _you_ ," she said, fondness seeping through her words that made Neville's heart ache in a way he had never experienced before.

Then she raised her hand that was not holding his and rested it against his cheek, stroking gently. While Neville's heart started to beat madly in his chest, it seemed as if Haley was pondering something. She bit her lips before hoarsely whispering, "A lot."

And as if that wasn't enough to give Neville a heart attack, the girl started to lean closer and pressed a tender kiss onto his cheek.

He blinked. He tried to come up with a somewhat appropriate reaction or even a coherent thought. But it was impossible. His mind had turned completely blank. Haley leaned back and there was a prominent blush dusting her cheeks. He still felt her hands where they were resting on his skin. He still heard her words echo inside his head. But none of this made any sense. It simply didn't. He wasn't cold but his mind felt like it was frozen.

He blinked. The hand that had been cupping his face was gone. Where had it gone? Haley was biting her lips. She was probably waiting for some kind of reaction. But he couldn't react. He was frozen.

Haley cleared her throat. Was she embarrassed? Then she lowered her gaze and carefully extracted her hand from his.

Wait. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to let go of his hand. Without thinking about it Neville reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers once more. Haley looked up in surprise. Neville gave her hand a squeeze and was rewarded with a smile. Slowly his mind began to work again.

"Um… are you – are you hungry?" Haley asked hesitantly.

The question was so unexpected that it took him a moment to understand what she was saying.

He didn't remember eating anything during breakfast. Which was mainly due to that horrible article.

"I – I don't want to go back to the Great Hall," he admitted, although he was indeed quite hungry.

"That's okay. We don't have to go back there," she assured him, "I'm pretty sure breakfast is over by now anyway."

Neville frowned. "But then-" He started to argue but he was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"Have you ever been to the kitchens?" Haley asked, a warm glint in her eyes that made Neville want to _squeeze_ her.

He shook his head no. He had heard a lot about the kitchens but were students even allowed to go there?

"Come on, then," Haley urged, getting up from the bench and pulling him along with her.

And right then he decided he didn't care if it was forbidden. What did that matter when Haley was there by his side? When she kept smiling at him like this. When she kept holding his hand. It didn't matter. Because Haley had said that she cared about him. She had said that she cared about him… _a lot_. And then she had kissed him. He was never going to wash his face again.

…

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for reading! And especially thank you to that anon who left me all these sweet reviews. They made me really happy :)

I'm sorry that I took forever to update. But to make up for the long wait I made the chapter extra long! And apparently also extra angsty... Anyway for those of you who need something to laugh now, there's this song on youtube called "Neville's Theme". It's really silly but also funny :D Here's the link /watch?v=dntIF0nsV3Y  
It's originally from an HP parody by a German youtuber called "coldmirror". It's the most hilarious thing ever (Dumbledore is kind of a wannabe gangster rapper in this and he calls himself "Fresh Dumbledore")!

I think there will be one or two more chapters after this. The chapter title is from "A little Braver" by New Empire and you should seriously give it a listen because it also inspired the title of the story.

Happy New Year to all of you! Feather :)


	7. A Little Braver

**7 – A Little Braver**

The last week of holidays went by without any major disruptions. But that week after christmas was still one of the best weeks that Neville had spent at Hogwarts. During mealtimes he sat with Haley, Hermione and Ron. In itself that was nothing new but now they actually included him in their conversations. Well, most of the time. There were still moments in their conversations where he felt left out or didn't understand references to events that he hadn't been part of. But even so, it was still an improvement. On the last weekend before classes were going to start again they even did their homework together. The four of them. It had been really nice. Neville kept thinking that it was all too good to be true. That sooner or later they would realise that they didn't want him to hang around all the time or that they would get bored of him. And Haley… He wasn't exactly sure where he stood with her. Most of the time she treated him like a friend. Or like she had always treated him. Except she smiled more and sometimes she touched his arm, seemingly without thinking about it. If she only knew how her casual touch left his skin tingling even hours later. But what did it all mean? Or did it mean nothing and he was just worrying uselessly?

Neville spotted the willow in some distance away. He was on the way to his thinking spot. Perhaps being around the plants would help him get his thoughts in order. As he neared the willow he saw with relief that the magical cover was still protecting his plants. He still felt guilty that he had almost forgotten about the plants since the night of the Yule Ball. There had been so many other things on his mind. But that was no excuse of course.

He knelt down in front of the patch and moved the cover to the side.

"Merlin!" He muttered excitedly under his breath. What was that? Was that really…? He had to go and tell Haley!

…

Back in the castle he stopped to wonder where the Gryffindor might be at that time. He should have thought about that before. In the common room maybe? Standing in the Entrance Hall, he looked around. There were people streaming toward the Great Hall coming from all sides. Right, it was close to dinner time. If he simply waited here, Haley would surely show up as well. There was a group of Gryffindors descending from the moving staircase. Was Haley among them? There were Dean and Seamus, Lavender and Parvati and... there behind the two girls he spotted Haley and behind her Ron and Hermione. Parvati noticed him first. She gave Lavender a nudge and whispered something to her. Were they talking about him? The two girls started to giggle and turned toward Haley. It seemed like they were telling her something, while gesticulating wildly. What were they talking about? Finally, Haley looked up and met Neville's nervous gaze. She smiled warmly. As they were coming closer he could see the girls grin at Haley smugly and he even heard bits of their conversation.

"See, that's what I meant... just admit it," Lavender advised, while Parvati nodded and Haley rolled her eyes.  
"Hey Neville," Haley greeted him, as soon as she had reached him, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since lunch."

"I…" He started, watching the other Gryffindors enter the Great Hall. Aside from Lavender and Parvati who were not quite hiding the fact that they were trying to eavesdrop. "What was that about?" Neville asked, glancing over at the two girls.

"Oh. Nothing. They were just being silly," Haley answered lightly but as she was saying that a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She was wearing her hair up in a small ponytail. Neville thought she looked incredibly cute.

"They weren't… talking about me, right?" He asked, looking at the ground and feeling foolish for asking that.

"I didn't know you were this self-absorbed," Haley teased with a chuckle.

He looked up. She was grinning at him in a playful manner. Automatically, he grinned back. She had that effect on him. There was snickering from the back. Neville turned to Parvati and Lavender who were still watching them. But they weren't the only ones watching. Well, Haley and him were kind of standing in the middle of the Hall, so…

"They weren't talking about you, okay?" Haley said softly. Did he look this worried? She took his hand gently and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Are you not hungry? Don't you want to come in?"

"Sure – I mean – not now. We need to go outside." He only now remembered why he had been looking for the girl in the first place.

"Outside?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding excitedly.

"Why do we need to go outside?"

"Because – well..." he broke off, biting his lips. "It's a surprise," he mumbled, smiling shyly. He really wanted to see her face when he showed her what he had discovered.

"All right," Haley agreed, smiling back at him. "Lead the way."

Him? Leading the way? _That_ wasn't a sentence he heard a lot. While they walked across the school grounds Haley complained about the massive load of homework they'd had to do. "I mean, aren't we supposed to relax during break? Why do they give us so much to do then? Did you manage to finish all of the assignments?"

"What?" He hadn't listened. Which assignments was Haley talking about?

"The assignments. Did you finish them all?" She repeated.

"I… oh, look we're almost there," Neville noted. He already saw the willow tree that marked his secret thinking spot.

"Should I cover my eyes?" Haley asked playfully.

"What?"

"Well, you did say there was a surprise..."

"Um…" Neville shrugged. He hadn't thought about that. "I guess… If you want to."

Haley closed her eyes and blindly reached her hands out in front of her. Her left hand came into contact with his shoulder and promptly held onto it.

"W-what are you-?"

"You have to guide me, of course. I can't see, remember?" She retorted, gesturing toward her face.

Neville swallowed nervously. This was completely unnecessary, seeing as his plants were hidden under a cover anyway. Should he just point that out? But on the other hand, this gave him the chance to be close to Haley. And she didn't seem to mind it either.

He carefully lead her along the snow covered grounds, making sure she wouldn't slip on frozen puddles or walk into a tree. Neville loved how she just trusted him like this. Trusted him to take charge and lead the way. Trusting him not to lead her somewhere she didn't want to follow. It was refreshing. And also a little intimidating. But… he found that he didn't mind that.

When they finally reached the spot, Neville stopped, and Haley instinctively did the same.

"Can I open my eyes now?" She whispered, still holding on to his arm.

"Just a moment," he mumbled, while gently extricating her fingers from his arm. Then he knelt down and removed the cover so that the plants, he had planted came into view.

"Um… you can open them now," he said, nervously biting his lips.

Haley opened her eyes and looked at him in anticipation. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she looked around. "I had a feeling you might take me here."

She hadn't spotted the plant yet. "So, what's the big surprise?" She asked curiously.

Neville looked toward the patch of earth. Haley followed his gaze. She stepped closer and knelt down in front of the plants as well, inspecting them closely. The seconds stretched into minutes and she still didn't show a reaction. Wasn't she happy? Neville had really hoped she would be… Had he misunderstood? After a while, Haley turned to him with a questioning look on her face.

"That's… a really… um… interesting root… you have there." She finally commented with a well-meaning smile.

Neville stared at her blankly for another moment. She returned his gaze a tad awkwardly but there definitely was an underlying warmth. Then it dawned on him. He was so stupid!

"You have no idea what this is, do you?" He asked with a chuckle.

Haley pouted. "It's a plant, obviously. But… well… I mean…" She shrugged, looking at him cluelessly.

Neville couldn't help it. He started to laugh.

"Hey, don't laugh at me. We can't all be experts in Herbology, now can we?"

"I'm not an expert," he protested.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I – well, the point is that this is…"

"Yes?"

"It's gillyweed," he told her excitedly. Haley blinked at him in surprise. Then she took another look at the plant.

" _Th_ _is_ is gillyweed?" She asked in a hopeful yet sceptical tone. Like she didn't dare to believe it was true.

"Yes, that's gillyweed," he answered. Haley turned back to look at him again. Her eyes were impossibly wide.

"You're not joking?" She questioned, her voice rising notably.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I mean no – no, I'm not joking. I'd ne-never joke about something like that."

The way a big grin was slowly spreading across her face reminded him of a sunrise.

"It still has to grow for a few more weeks, see how small it is? But I think it should be fine in time for the-"

"Neville!" Haley exclaimed, she was positively beaming now. Then she took hold of his hands, got to her feet and pulled the boy up with her. "You're a genius!" She sounded so happy.

"But I didn't do anything-"

"You saved my life!"

"How did I-?"

"Without you, I'd be left to drown inside the Great Lake."

That wasn't right. "I'm sure you would have found another way," he protested.

Haley frowned. "No, Neville, don't sell yourself short. Me, Hermione and Ron have been looking for almost two months and we haven't found anything."

Neville shrugged. She made it sound like he had done so much to help her when in reality all he had done was remembered about some plant he had seen in a book. He looked at the ground.

"If it wasn't for you I would never have known about the gillyweed in the first place," she continued insistently. "And this magical patch, too. You're the one who found it."

"But I just stumbled across it. I mean – I literally stumbled because of a root and that's how I found it. That's not… something to be proud of."

Haley shook her head, the beginning of a smile was tugging at her lips. "So what? If you keep finding awesome stuff by accident that's even better! Other people never find anything amazing at all."

Neville opened his mouth to protest. He didn't deserve her praising words. He had done nothing special! Well, if he was honest with himself, he did feel kind of proud that he had found the patch of earth – not even Professor Sprout knew about it! – but still… That wasn't enough to justify all these compliments.

"You don't know what you're-" He started to say but Haley interrupted him.

"Neville, stop it!" She exclaimed, pulling her hands away from his and throwing her arms up in exasperation. "They're all morons, all those people that can't see how amazing you are. Heck, I never realised it until now because you're hiding it so well." There was a fiery glint in the girl's eyes. The way she was glaring up at him conjured up the image of a raging storm in his mind.

"I-"

"I'm not finished," she almost growled. Then she took a step toward him and continued in a much gentler tone. "Can't you see how _brilliant_ this is?" She gestured toward the willow and the little patch of earth. Her gaze lingered on the gillyweed. When she turned back to him, she was smiling again. It was a happy and carefree smile. It made her look even more beautiful. She looked at him expectantly. Was he actually meant to answer that question?

"Neville. _You're_ brilliant," she said, with a tiny chuckle. She said it with so much conviction that Neville felt something squeeze his heart uncomfortably. Something shifted in Haley's eyes and she raised her small hands slowly and rested them against his cheeks. "I could honestly kiss you right now," she whispered almost soundlessly, while her warm fingers softly stroked across his skin. Neville swore his heart actually stopped for a few seconds. _What?_

"Really?" He asked breathlessly, feeling his face getting uncomfortably hot.

Haley's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, as if her own words surprised her.

"I-I" She stammered. Oh. She hadn't meant it. Of course, she hadn't meant it. He was such a fool! The feeling of disappointment and sadness settled heavily somewhere in his stomach and he felt a burning sensation behind his eyes. Not _now_.

"Neville, I…" She broke off, staring down at his lips nervously. "I…"

Neville shook his head, trying to force a smile onto his face. "N-no, i-i-it's fine. I don't know w-what I was th-thinking," he muttered to the ground. He still felt the touch of her hands on his cheeks. It made him feel even worse.

"Nev, you're a moron," Haley said with a chuckle. Wonderful, now she was insulting him on top of everything. But she was right. He was a bloody moron. He closed his eyes, silently wishing the ground would swallow him up. But then he felt something weird on his face. A warm stream of air. He opened his eyes immediately. Haley's face was so close that he felt her breath on his skin.

She glanced at his lips again and with a determined gleam in her eyes started to lean closer. She wasn't going to-? Neville panicked. That was the only plausible explanation for what happened then.

His head jerked up in surprise, causing their foreheads to knock against one another. Haley in turn, lost her balance and stumbled backwards. Before she could fall Neville instinctively reached out and caught her around the waist. It was a miracle that he hadn't lost his balance as well. They stood like this for a few seconds, him with his arm around her waist and her clutching his upper arms fiercely. Then, realising their closeness, he hastily let go of her and took a step back. Haley righted herself and pulled at her robes, that were exposing the thin red shirt she was wearing beneath them.

"Um… what was that?" She asked, sounding uncertain. Her cheeks were reddening notably. Was she embarrassed? She wouldn't look at him. That made it easier to talk to her at least.

"I'm sorry… um… you don't have to feel embarrassed. I… I know you don't actually like me that way… You only said that because… because you were grateful." There he'd said it. Now, they could hopefully pretend none of this had ever happened and move on. He really hated that he had allowed this small flicker of hope to grow but it would be worse if Haley stopped being his friend altogether. So, it was really the best to admit his mistake. So, that she didn't have to feel awkward around him.

Haley silently blinked at him for a moment, seemingly taking in what he had said.

"You're right," she agreed then. "I _am_ grateful. Immensely grateful." He knew it. Had known it all along, so why did her admission _hurt_ so much?

"But that's not why…" She continued. She seemed to be looking for the right words. "Look, I _care_ about you, Neville. I told you." Was she trying to let him down gently?

"Ever since the Yule Ball I learned so much about you. More than in all of the years before combined. I just – you're incredibly kind and caring and so considerate of the people around you and their feelings. Even if they don't notice it. Or appreciate it." She walked a step closer toward him. What was she trying to tell him? Where was she going with this? And why was she looking at him with so much raw emotion shining through her eyes?

"I was really touched, you know? When you asked me to come to the ball with you." She took his hands, without looking away from him, and interlaced their fingers. Neville loved feeling her soft skin on his.

"And somehow you've been there to support me every time I needed someone. When I felt alone or… sad or hopeless. You were there and you made me feel better." This was uncanny. Had she somehow looked into his mind? Was she mocking him? She was describing exactly how she made _him_ feel.

"I'm thankful for that but…" Haley took a deep breath like she was bracing herself for something. Neville couldn't do more than stand there, wide-eyed, and listen to her soft voice. "but more than that I… I like holding your hands," she whispered, glancing down at their hands briefly. "I like… making you laugh and… your stuttering… I don't know why but… but it's really cute." She smiled at him shyly and Neville didn't know where to look. He couldn't look at _her_. But he could also not _not_ look at her. He knew he had to be blushing furiously and his heart was hammering in his chest like it was trying to escape his ribcage.

"I also like how I feel… when I'm around you," she admitted with a shrug. "And none of this," She squeezed his hands lightly when she said 'this'. "Has anything to do with me feeling grateful," she concluded. Neville didn't know what to feel. He didn't know if this was nothing but a dream. What else could it be, really? Haley couldn't honestly mean, what she had been saying, could she?

"So… you should probably say something now," The girl mumbled, biting her lips nervously.

Her lips. They looked so red and inviting. If he just leaned in a few inches he could – but no. What was he thinking? Her words had painted pictures in his mind that were too impossible to ever come true. And still, he found himself leaning closer, like there was an invisible pull that was calling to him. Neville barely registered that Haley's eyes had fluttered closed. Her lips were just there… waiting, no more than an inch apart from his own… He froze, clenching his eyes shut tightly. He suddenly realised what exactly it was he had been about to do. Was he insane? What if he had misunderstood? What if it had all been a joke? What if –

Haley chuckled almost soundlessly. He was sure he only heard it because he was so close to her. Not a second later he felt a soft and light touch on lips. It reminded him of the silky smoothness of rose petals. It felt amazing. He instinctively pushed back against the gentle touch. Fingers were tangling in his hair and he reached out his own hand to hold onto something. To steady himself.

Then the heavenly touch was gone and he found himself gasping for air. He opened his eyes and found her green irises right there. _She_ kissed _me_ , he realised with a start, _she kissed_ me.

"Neville," Haley breathed, her hand was cupping his face and her eyes were glittering. Her smile was like the sun and he positively melted, when she leaned in to softly kiss him again.

"Am I dreaming?" Neville whispered cleverly. Haley chuckled. Then she pinched his arm.

"Ow," he said, almost as an afterthought.

"See, now you know you're not dreaming," she told him, grinning cheekily. She bit her lips nervously and looked down. Her feet were shuffling on the ground.

"Um…" she started to say, "so… now that that's settled would you… would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me?"

"What?" Had he heard her right?

"Um… you know… Hogsmeade. There's a trip coming up next weekend… Do you want to go together?"

"With Hermione and Ron?" Neville asked without thinking about it. Haley furrowed her eyebrows. She still wasn't looking at him. "No," she answered, shaking her head. "I was thinking… just the two of us." She stopped shuffling her feet. What was she thinking? He wished she would look at him. Then he could at least try to guess what was going through her mind.

"Just… the two of us?" Neville repeated stupidly. She nodded. "You mean… as friends?"

That made the girl look up at once. His question seemed to confuse her. "No, Neville," Haley whispered, shaking her head. She touched his arm and let her fingers slowly wander across his skin until they reached his hand. He had to fight the urge to pull his arm away because it tickled so much. He felt himself smile.

"I thought we could… make a date out of it," Haley mumbled. There was a shy smile on her lips and her eyes reminded him of summer grass. Soft and inviting. Neville didn't know what to do. It seemed so easy. He could just say yes. Then he could go to Hogsmeade with Haley. He could go on a _date_ with her. But wasn't this too easy? Things were never that easy for him. Why should it be different this time?

"What about the others?" He asked in a small voice. "What will everyone think?"

"For the sake of Merlin's magical underpants, Neville, you're impossible!" Haley exclaimed, stomping her foot like an angry five-year-old. Neville flinched.

"What does it matter what the others think? What does everyone else have to do with this? It doesn't matter what all these people who don't even know you might think. It doesn't even matter what _I_ think. Just… For once… think about what _you_ want."

Haley was holding his hand between her own. She was squeezing it so fiercely he was afraid he might lose all the feeling in it.

"What do you want, Neville?" Her eyes were burning holes into his own.

"I-I…" He swallowed, taking a moment to think. But really, there wasn't much to think. The answer was clear as day.

"I want… t-to go t-to H-Hogsmeade with you," he breathed, his heart beating in his throat.

The delighted smile that lit up Haley's face made Neville wish he could stop time and burn the image of her into his memory forever. How did he deserve this?

"Okay," she whispered almost soundlessly. "Let's do that then." For a moment that was over much too soon they just stared at one another. Green eyes into blue. Then Haley took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. It was striking how much it seemed like she fit there, resting her head against Neville's chest lightly and closing her eyes.

"I'm so glad," Haley mumbled into his robes after a while. "For a moment there I thought I was just imagining things and you actually only liked me as a friend. I was so scared you didn't like me back."

Neville's arms slowly came up and lightly rested on Haley's back. This was so surreal. He still couldn't believe this was really happening. It would probably take some time to really sink in. Weeks probably. Or maybe even years. Wait, years? Now, he was really getting ahead of himself.

"Scared? You? That's impossible. You're always so brave." Neville heard the awe in his own voice. He stroked his fingers across her back hesitantly. "I could never be as brave as you. You're easily the bravest person I know."

Haley looked up at him briefly. She was blushing but also seemed somewhat flattered. "I'm not _always_ brave," she muttered, hiding her face in his chest again. "But somehow… with you… I always feel a little braver."

Her admission made something tug at his heartstrings pleasantly. This was exactly the way she made _him_ feel. It was completely absurd that she should feel this way, too. He laughed. Because all of this didn't make any sense. But also because he felt truly happy in a way he wasn't sure he had ever felt before.

It was insane but maybe she was right. He was probably never going to be as brave or confident as Haley Potter but… Maybe she could help him be strong, when he felt weak. Maybe he could keep her company, when she felt alone. Maybe they could help each other out and make each other laugh when they were down. Maybe he wasn't exactly brave and maybe she wasn't the bravest. But Neville knew that together with her… he didn't feel afraid any more. And that was enough for him. More than enough.

*.*.*

* * *

A/N: Guys! This is it! The final chapter! I hope you enjoyed this fluff fest, I certainly did :) I want to thank you all again for reading and favouriting and leaving me such lovely reviews. And I'm sorry that the updates have taken so long. (That's what you get when the author is writing 3 stories at the same time). Anyway, thank you for sticking with this and giving so much love to Neville. He deserves it. And if you have time feel free to leave me your thoughts ;)

I shouldn't say this, because this will take forever again but I'm thinking of writing a new fic around these two. But it will take some time... so... be patient I guess.

On a different note: Did anyone read School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani? I love this series, it's amazing! I only found it recently but it's so good?

Well, I'll see you around, so stay healthy and keep reading!

Feather :)


	8. Right Here

A/N: Who's up for a bonus chapter? Enjoy ;)

* * *

 **8 - Right Here**

The sight of a growing plant had never made Neville this happy before. To be fair, seeing his plants grow healthily tended to make him happy in general but with this particular plant it was different. Tomorrow the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament was finally going to take place and so, the boy had made a trip to his secret spot (well, not so secret any more) and dug out the gillyweed along with its root. Now, he was running down the hall on the first floor, looking for Haley, who had wanted to do some last minute spell practising inside one of the empty class rooms. It wasn't curfew yet but already there were only a few people roaming around the castle. From one of the class rooms on the left, there was a faint light creeping into the hallway, indicating that someone was inside.

Should he simply walk in there? Or would it be better to knock? He didn't want to disturb anyone and he wasn't even sure this was the right class room. So, he lifted his hand and softly knocked on the door. It didn't take long for it to open. If only a crack.

"Password?" A familiar voice asked, then the freckled face of Ron Weasley came into view.

A password? He didn't know about a password? "Um…" He shrugged, wondering if Haley had mentioned something about a password. Perhaps he had forgotten?

" _Depulso_ _!_ Who is it, Ron?" That was Haley. She sounded breathless.

The redhead looked back over his shoulder. "It's Neville."

No more than a few seconds later, the door opened fully, revealing Neville's favourite person in all of Hogwarts. He smiled without actively deciding to do so. Haley smiled as well, like she was as happy to see him as he felt.

"Neville," she breathed, reaching for his hands. "Come on in. We're practising the Banishing Charm." She pulled him inside the room, never looking away from his eyes.

"Um… what about...?" He nodded in the direction of Ron behind them.

"Don't mind him. He's being silly." Haley answered, rolling her eyes. Her hair was partly up in a small ponytail and partly hanging loose around her flushed face. She was so beautiful. He could only stare at her, still not believing that she wanted to be with him.

"So, did everything work out with the gillyweed?" She asked anxiously.

Oh. Right. He was stupid. Of course she was worried. He should have assured her the moment he stepped inside the room!

In order to get the jar, in which he was keeping the water plant, he had to let go of one of her hands. Which was unfortunate. But seeing the girl's blinding smile, he decided it was worth it.

"Is it fully grown? Can I use it?" She asked excitedly. He nodded.

Then Haley attacked him with a fierce hug, her arms locking around his neck tightly. She was literally taking his breath away. Which wasn't really a good thing. But he was strangely okay with dying if it came in such a sweet form.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, her warm breath making him shiver pleasantly. After squeezing him once more, she planted a kiss on his cheek and took a step backwards. "You're the best," she whispered, grinning up at him happily. Neville gaped at her, not having an idea how he was supposed to respond to that.

"Here we go again," Ron commented with a groan. "Why do they have to be this disgusting?" He complained to Hermione, who was watching Haley and him with a soft smile.

"Shut up Ron," the brunette said, slapping Ron's arm lightly.

"Ow!" The boy exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "I'm kidding. Blimey."

Neville chuckled. He loved this playful atmosphere. They were like a warm family. But unfortunately the light moment wasn't meant to last much longer. Almost soundlessly the class room door opened and another person stepped inside.

"Professor McGonnagall!" Hermione noticed their Transfigurations professor first.

"Miss Potter," the woman turned to Haley. "There is a certain point at which practising causes more harm than it does good. I'm sure you want to be well-rested for tomorrow."

"Well…" the girl in question said somewhat sheepishly. But she gave a short nod.

"As for the two of you," Professor McGonnagall continued, pointing at him – _him_? – and Hermione. "I would like to have a word with you."

"Me?" Neville asked. He must have heard that wrong. Haley stepped forward, as if she wanted to protect him.

"It's not their fault!" she burst out. "I – it was my idea! I asked them to help me. Please don't punish them, professor."

Punish? But why… oh right. The champions were supposed to solve their tasks on their own.

"I am not going to punish them, Miss Potter. I merely want to discuss something with them."

"But-"

"And again, I would strongly advise you to return to your tower and get some sleep." She turned to Hermione and Neville. "Follow me, please."

He had the feeling that he was forgetting something. It was a feeling he knew only too well. But what was it?

"Mr Longbottom? Is something the matter?"

Neville's gaze fell to the jar in his fingers. How stupid of him. He had forgotten to give it to her! He stepped toward Haley and pushed the jar into her hands. "Almost forgot," he whispered sheepishly. "Don't worry. It'll be fine," he added, an impulse telling him to reassure her.

"I know," the girl said with a smile, squeezing his hand in gratitude. He felt trapped in her green eyes again. Every time she looked at him like this it was like time stopped…

Someone cleared their throat. They turned around to find Professor McGonnagall eyeing them with a raised eyebrow.

Neville dropped Haley's hand in surprise, feeling his face heat up. He waved at the girl clumsily, before turning around and following Professor McGonnagall and Hermione out of the room.

While they made their way down the hall, ascending two or three staircases, the boy wondered where they were going and what it was that their transfigurations professor wanted to discuss with them. Hermione was biting her lips as if she was stopping herself from saying something. Surely she was curious as well. But it would be fine, right? If Hermione was with him it wouldn't be anything bad, would it?

They reached the end of another hall and stopped in front of a gargoyle. Professor McGonnagall said something that sounded like ' _Cockroach Clusters'_ and the gargoyle disappeared, revealing a hidden staircase. The woman gestured for him and Hermione to go first. There was a door at the end of the staircase, which opened on its own, once they reached it. Behind the door there was a circular room, in which a small number of people seemed to be waiting. For them? He spotted a blonde little girl, another girl – the one Cedric Diggory had gone to the Yule Ball with – Mr Crouch, Ludo Bagman and… Professor Dumbledore. What was going on here?

"Thank you, Minerva. It looks like we can begin now." The headmaster said, with a soft smile that made his eyes twinkle. He conjured up a wide couch with a flick of his wand and invited them to sit. Professor Dumbledore didn't waste another second, instead he began explaining that they were going to be part of the Second Task and that the champions were supposed to save them from the bottom of the Great Lake. All of what he said sounded extremely scary and he didn't make it better by telling them that they were going to be put into an enchanted sleep. He didn't really understand why he was here. Why had they chosen him to be part of the Task?

"Are there any questions?" Mr Crouch asked in a neutral tone.

"I – I don't really understand why I..." He stammered. "how did you chose…?" He didn't finish the question. He would look like a coward asking something like this!

"Oh!" Mr Bagman perked up. "For each champion we chose someone who is really precious to them."

"I – I understand that but…" He bit his lips. "She belongs to Cedric, she must belong to Fleur," he pointed at Cho Chang and the girl that looked like she was Fleur's little sister. Then he looked at Hermione. "And you obviously belong to Haley." He shrugged. She was her best friend after all. "So, why did you call _me_ here? There has to be someone else for Viktor Krum. I've never even talked to him." He said, blushing again. The room was silent for a moment.

Then Mr Bagman burst into loud laughter. "Viktor Krum!" He snorted, elbowing Professor Dumbledore in amusement. "You're _Haley's_ hostage."

"What?" He had misheard that, right? There was no other explanation. "What about Hermione, then?"

Seeing Hermione blush made Neville realise how stupid his question had been. Hadn't she gone to the Yule Ball with… "Viktor Krum," he whispered. "You're the person that's precious to Viktor Krum."

He looked around the room. "But that doesn't make sense. Haley wouldn't – I'm just – I mean – I… I'm just… Neville…"

Hermione turned to him, grabbing his hands. "Neville, don't talk about yourself like that. Can't you see that you're just as precious to Haley as she is to you? You don't need to be more than _just Neville_."

She was right. He knew that. Theoretically. But it was still hard to embrace that knowledge. He nodded, feeling warm at the thought that Haley might really like him just the way he was.

"Brilliant!" Mr Bagman clapped his hands once, beaming like a delighted child. "To be a teenager once again!"

"Shall we start, then?" Professor Dumbledore asked, raising his wand at them. Wait, they were put to sleep already? In alarm, Neville gazed from Hermione to Professor McGonnagall and finally to Professor Dumbledore. Then he felt his eyes droop and the world around him fade into darkness.

…

HALEY

All morning, Haley had felt a mixture between anxiousness and nausea. Where was Hermione? And Neville? They had both never returned to Gryffindor Tower. Ron had confirmed that. Had they really been punished? There was no other explanation. Otherwise they wouldn't abandon her on a day like this.

"Calm down, I'm sure, they're fine," Ron assured her. They were hastily making their way down to the Great Lake. They had been waiting for their friends until the last possible moment. "They're probably down by the lake already."

Haley doubted that, but she appreciated her friend's efforts. "Maybe."

Once they reached the lake, everything turned into a hazy blur. The girl kept worrying about Neville and Hermione and on top of that there was the Second Task. What if the gillyweed didn't work for some reason? Or what if it didn't last for a whole hour? Neville had mentioned that he wasn't completely sure how long it would last…

But no. This was stupid. She trusted Neville. He wouldn't have given the plant to her if he thought she would end up drowning by using it. The little plant was slippery in her hand. All she was waiting for was the sound of the cannon.

Someone was counting down from three. She didn't check to see who it was. The cannon sounded far too early and someone pushed her into the water. This was all happening too fast! Haley hastily stuffed the water plant into her mouth, before she hit the cold water. Her fingers began tingling, along with her toes. And what was that feeling in her throat? She didn't have much air left in her lungs. She had to breathe – she had to –

Suddenly everything came into sharp focus around her. Somehow she was breathing. Under water. And there were webs between her fingers and her toes. Amazing. It actually worked!

 _Thank you, Neville_ , she thought, while diving deeper into the waters. Where was she supposed to go? The merpeople… they were probably living at the bottom of the lake, right? So, to the bottom it was.

On her way down, she had a short encounter with a horde of grindylows. But she got rid off them with a quick stunning spell. That would hopefully distract them for a while. In the distance she could hear singing. The voices sounded similar to the ones that had been sealed inside the Golden Egg.

She didn't know for how long she had swum but the voices became louder and in the distance Haley spotted a big statue. The closer she came to the statue, she noticed that there were figures tied to it. Were they puppets?

No. With shocked surprise, she realised that they were _humans_. A blonde little girl, Cho Chang and next to her, there was Hermione! And on the far right… Neville! As far as she could tell they appeared to be sleeping.

She swam faster than she had ever swum. That's why they had been gone! She needed to _free_ them. _That_ was the thing that had been stolen from her! A spell – she needed a spell. What was that spell again? The one to cut things with? She didn't remember. _Focus, Haley!_ , she told herself, trying to push down the feeling of panic.

There were countless stones and sharp looking shells on the ground. Maybe she could use one of those? She picked up a shell with a sharp edge and swam over to the hostages. For a moment, she was confused. Did she have two hostages? Both Neville and Hermione? Hermione was right in front of her, so she started to hack at the rope, tying her to the statue. It took a few minutes but then her friend was free. Haley sighed in relief. Then she turned to Neville. But as soon as she started to saw at his bonds, one of the merpeople who had been lurking around the statue appeared at her side and pulled her away from him.

"Your task is to save your friend only," the merman hissed. "Leave the others here."

"But – they're both my friends," she wanted to say but there was only an air bubble coming out of her mouth. "And I can't let the others die either."

What kind of an insane task was this? How could the organisers of the tournament put innocent people in danger? Haley decided to wait. Maybe the others were going to show up any minute. She didn't have to wait long. Only five minutes later it seemed, Cedric Diggory swam toward her from above. A massive bubble was surrounding his head.

"Lost my way." His lips formed the words soundlessly. "Fleur and Krum will be here soon." Krum… That reminded her. Was Hermione Krum's hostage? She was relieved. It seemed as if none of the hostages had to die after all. Cedric cut Cho lose with a knife that he brought. Then he pulled her away from the statue and swam away with her.

So, that meant that Neville was actually her only hostage. Would it be okay if she cut him loose? She carefully raised her hand with the shell but before she could only attempt to free him, one of the merpeople pointed their spear at her in warning. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and continued to wait.

There seemed to be someone else approaching them. Someone who also had their head stuck in a bubble. Fleur. When she saw the little girl tied to the statue it looked like she was going to break into tears. The blonde swam toward the little girl – who Haley figured was her sister – and tore at her bonds desperately. They wouldn't budge.

Haley swam over to them and handed her the shell. Fleur looked at her in gratitude and began to free her sister. When she was finished, she returned the shell to Haley and squeezed her hand gently. A moment later, they were gone as well.

Now, it was only Haley, Hermione and Neville. She wondered how much time there was left. What if Viktor wasn't coming? She couldn't leave either of her friends here. She _couldn't_. With new determination she swam toward Neville, where a group of merpepole had gathered. They were shaking their heads. But that didn't discourage her. Haley raised her wand at them and gestured for them to get out of her way. Her wand seemed to frighten them. Did that mean they weren't able to perform magic? With the hand holding the shell, she held up three fingers, to show that she was counting. Two fingers. One.

The merpeople swam away and finally let her approach the sleeping boy. She frantically sawed at the rope that was tying him to the statue. Just when the girl had cut him free completely, something tore through the water toward them. A shark? No, it was a person with a shark head, who was zooming straight toward Hermione. It had to be Viktor! It was a good thing Haley had already cut her free, otherwise he might have cut her in two with those teeth. The boy grabbed Hermione around her waist and swam toward the surface without a look back.

Well. It seemed just like she had been worrying for nothing. She needed to get back quickly, too. Who knew for how much longer her underwater abilities were going to last. Haley snaked her arm around Neville's waist and started swimming upwards. Swimming with an additional weight was much more difficult than swimming on her own. But at the same time the weight was reassuring. It meant that Neville was safe. And the thought alone gave her additional strength. She clutched the boy closer to her and continued swimming.

After what seemed like no more than a few minutes, Haley felt the breathing getting harder. Damn, was her time up already? A moment later, she noticed that her mouth was filled with water and there was a sharp pain on the sides of her throat. Shit, shit, shit. Was she going to drown after all?

Her eyes fell on Neville's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. She couldn't let him die because of her. With the last surge of strength she began kicking her feet desperately. Already the surface above her became lighter. It couldn't be too much farther. It couldn't… She kept kicking her legs, even as the water began to fill her lungs. She needed air, she needed – she couldn't let it end this way – she had to get them to the surface safely…

Then suddenly she was breathing again. The air was cold around her and her lungs greedily sucked in bucketfuls of it. Next to her Neville opened his eyes, spitting out water and looking around in confusion.

Haley was alight with a relief that was so overwhelming that she was afraid she was going to burst. But it was a good feeling. A happy one. Because she was alive. They both were.

…

NEVILLE

He was wet. He was also in the middle of the Great Lake. And there was someone in front of him. Haley. She was just as wet as him and coughing out water. She was deadly pale and her lips a blueish grey. Her eyes were red and her hair was sticking to her face. But she looked happy. And to Neville she had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.

"Are you okay?" She asked, between quick breaths of air. It was typical that the first thing she did was worrying about others, when she should be worrying about herself. He nodded, suddenly feeling the strong urge to kiss her. He didn't though, figuring the last thing she wanted to do after almost drowning was getting her breath stolen away by a kiss.

"Are _you_ okay?" He asked in return, while treading water in order to stay afloat.

"Fine," she replied, still breathing heavily. "Let's get out of the blasted lake." She smiled at him despite her words. They swam back to the shore in silence, the clapping of the audience greeting them from afar.

Professor Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman were pulling them out of the water toward Madame Pomfrey, who was waiting with thick, white towels. As soon as they were within reach, Hermione threw her arms around Haley and held her tightly.

"Are you okay?" They both asked at the same time, causing them to giggle. Hermione looked her over sceptically before dropping a kiss on the side of her head. Then Madame Pomfrey pulled at Haley's arm and gave her some kind of potion. Out of nowhere it seemed, Ron appeared, pulling her to the side and clapping his hand on her shoulder, congratulating her.

Should he go and congratulate her as well? He hadn't even thanked her for saving him. He reached out a hand toward her, taking a step in her direction but he was yanked to the side by a strong hand. Madame Pomfrey was giving him a spoonful of the potion as well. It made him feel warm and caused steam to come out of his ears.

"You're always watching over her, aren't you," a voice said from behind him. He turned to find Hermione come up next to him.

"Hm?" He asked, feeling strangely exposed.

"You don't have to watch, you know. You should go and join her," she advised, nodding toward Haley who was being hugged by Fleur Delacour.

Neville shrugged, shaking his head in disagreement. "She seems… busy." He whispered. "I don't want to interrupt."

Hermione sighed. Fleur was pulling back now, gripping Haley's hands in her own. It seemed like she was thanking her for something. Then the blonde leaned forward and kissed her on both of her cheeks.

Neville's eyes widened. Why was everyone _kissing_ her?

"Jealous?" Hermione asked, sounding suspiciously like she was mocking him.

He shook his head. "I'm not..." He bit his lips, not even knowing what he wanted to say. He wished she would at least _look_ at him. Give him some kind of sign that she wanted him by her side. He hated watching her. No, actually, he liked watching her but he hated, feeling like an outsider. Like he didn't belong…

It was like she had somehow heard what he had been thinking. Haley sharply turned her head, meeting his gaze and smiling warmly. Then she lifted her arm and held out her hand to him. In front of everyone! He only stared at her in confusion. She quirked an eyebrow expectantly. That was all it took. Neville walked over to the girl and placed his fingers around hers.

"Where were you?" She whispered, almost as if she had missed him.

"I-I," he stammered. "I was r-right there."

"Exactly." She pouted up at him. It looked so cute. "But I like it better when you're right _here_ ," she emphasised, tapping her finger against his nose. His breath hitched and everything besides her finger went out of focus. Then something softened in her eyes and she took a step toward him, her arms going around his middle. She held onto him so tightly it seemed she was trying to melt into him. Hesitantly, Neville lifted an arm, that was promptly grabbed by the girl and placed on her back. Then she went back to hugging him with a chuckle. He bit his lips and let his other arm rest on her back as well. When he looked down at Haley, he saw her smile. He was so happy.

Her arms around him were tightening even more.

"I couldn't let you drown," she whispered against the towel that was still wrapped around him. "I couldn't." Her voice sounded so vulnerable. And scared. Had she really been scared because of him?

Neville removed his arms from her back and cupped her face gently, making her look at him. He knew, he should say something. Something that would comfort her. But looking into her green eyes that were raw with emotion, he couldn't come up with anything. His mind was blank. Well, it wasn't completely blank. There was still the desire to kiss her. And after he had seen how casually everyone else had kissed Haley before, why shouldn't he do the same?

So, he acted on instinct, leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Haley gasped in surprise. But she soon kissed him back eagerly, her arms locking around his neck. Neville was vaguely aware that everyone was probably watching but as long as it didn't matter to Haley, he didn't care about the others either.

He pulled away after what felt like only seconds. And suddenly looking at her warm smile, he found the exact words he had wanted to say. "You're the bravest–" He stopped, pecking her lips shortly. "most amazing," another peck, "and most beautiful person, I know." He kissed her again, feeling unable to stop himself.

Haley chuckled, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Stop it," she mumbled sheepishly. "The way you talk, people might think you're in love or something."

"Maybe I am," Neville said, feeling terrified and brave at the same time. Perhaps the two feelings weren't that far from one another after all. His heart was beating madly in anticipation of her reaction.

Haley stared at him, her eyes widening comically. "You lied to me," she whispered then, a frown appearing on her face.

What? She thought he was lying? "B-but, I w-wasn't-"

The girl grinned, pinching his cheek. "Don't you remember? You said you could never be as brave as me. But I think," she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed his nose affectionately. "that you're even braver than me."

Neville lacked the words to describe the feeling that overcame him. How did he deserve to feel this happy? He felt like he was actually drowning in happine-

Something hit him from behind. He looked down to find a bundled up towel on the ground. Huh? Where had that come from?

The boy loosened his grip on her slightly and turned around to find a familiar redhead.

"What?" He asked confusedly.

"Your hair is still wet," Ron commented, nodding at the towel.

Neville picked it up. He hadn't even noticed. He wanted to thank him but Ron snatched the towel out of his hands and rubbed it over his head almost violently. "You wanna catch a cold or what? Is this how you're thanking Haley for saving your life?" He grumbled moodily, pushing himself between him and the girl.

"Um…" Neville was taken aback. Feeling like he was missing something.

Haley chuckled. "Ron is mad because you were my hostage and not him," she explained. "He feels left out."

"I don't feel left out!" He protested. "It's just… like… I'm your best friend. We've stuck together since we were little first years. It's unfair!" He pouted. Then his gaze fell on Fleur Delacour who was mothering her little sister. "Besides, I could have helped saving her sister and then she would have thanked me as well," he muttered, his cheeks turning pink.

Haley laughed. Loudly and without a care in the world. Neville watched her silently, an adoring smile stealing onto his lips. Then he noticed someone watching him. Hermione. She was smiling, too. She even winked at him. It was almost like a challenge. _'Are you watching her again?', s_ he seemed to ask soundlessly. He looked back toward Haley, who was elbowing Ron playfully. He reached out his hand toward the girl, wondering whether his touch would be welcome.

But her fingers were meeting him halfway, interlacing with his in a way that seemed as natural as breathing. She grinned at him, before continuing to tease Ron.

 _This is it_ , he realised. This was what he had been looking for all this time.

"Right here." He whispered, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

But someone _had_ heard him. Haley squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Right here," She whispered back. And in that moment Neville knew that she understood him. Perhaps she had always. There was something connecting them. Something beautiful. And deep. Something that scared him. And made him nervous. But it was also something that he felt brave enough to face. As long as she was by his side.

…

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A/N: So... Due to popular demand I wrote this little bonus chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it :) Let me know what you think!


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